Only five out of 147 cases of police brutality resolved in the past five years

This was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, in a written reply to the DA’s questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

According to Mazibuko, the following cases have been opened against Gauteng SAPS members in the last five years from the 2016/2017 financial year to the 2020/2021 financial year:

• 117 cases of common assault and assault with intention to cause grievous bodily harm.
• 16 deaths in police custody.
• 10 death cases as a result of police actions.
• Three cases of rape
• One person raped in police custody in 2018.

In total, 147 cases have been opened against Gauteng SAPS members in the past five years.

All these cases have been reported to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) and of these opened cases, only five have been resolved. It is worrying that people continue to suffer and die in the hands of the police yet there is a delay in ensuring justice for the victims and their families.

This clearly shows that some of the SAPS members in this province are failing to abide by the SAPS code of conduct and that they are failing to respect the rights of people while they are conducting their duties.

The DA calls on Mazibuko to engage both the Minister of Police Bheki Cele and the head of IPID, Jennifer Ntlatseng, to explain why there have been delays in resolving these cases. “Justice delayed is justice denied for the victims and their families, and it is high time that the IPID speeds up the investigations in these pending cases.”

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