Provincial Police Commissioners on State of Affairs & Challenges of their provinces

Meeting report

The Chairperson welcomed the nine provincial commissioners to the meeting. She remarked that as the country was celebrating 100 days until the start of the soccer world cup in South Africa, the people of South Africa pinned their hopes on the SAPS to provide a peaceful environment for the world cup to take place. The role of the police service would be thoroughly tried and tested during such a magnificent event. She congratulated the police service and their leadership for a job well done in policing South Africans during the festive season, there were few headline-catching incidents, thanks to the increased visibility of the police.

Mr Anwar Dramat, head of the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (DPCI) said the presentation had been put together by the national head office, with the input from provincial commissioners, and was aimed at giving a synopsis of the state of affairs in all provinces throughout the country.

Eastern Cape Province
The Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner, Mpumelelo Landu, said that the province had a population of 6 648 600, serviced by 190 police stations. Based on the resource allocation guide (RAG), the province had, in terms of the SA Police Act, 15 134 granted personnel (actual 15 389), 4 090 granted in terms of Public Service Act (actual 3 734), all combined making a total of 19 224 granted personnel (actual 19 123). A total 101 (0.53%) posts were yet to be filled. On vehicles, Mr Dramat reported that the EC province had 4 725 vehicles against 19 123 personnel, making it a 1:4 vehicle ratio in the province. Bulletproof vests and firearms were said to be more than enough for personnel. The province experienced crimes ranging from assault, Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH), common assault, rape robbery aggravating, common robbery, murder, attempted murder etc. The stations which were the top contributors of these crimes were Kwazakhele, Mthatha, New Brighton, Bethelsdrop, Grahamstown, and East London.

On individual station performance, the top three performers were Mqanduli, Kamesh and Cradock. Bottom three performers were Cambridge, Ngangelizwe and Mthatha. Large station top performers were reported as Aliwal North, Mount Fletcher, Graaf-Reinet and Idutywa whereas the bottom four large stations were Cambridge, Mthatha, Algoapark and Kabega Park. Station performance in medium and small stations was also highlighted, with stations such as Mbizeni, Maletswai, Barkly East, Rhodes, Willowmore and Zamuxolo being listed as top performers. Nemato, Macleantown, Addo, Kolomane, Punzana, Kei Mouth, Delasile, Ngangelizwe and Ikamvelihle were identified as bottom performing medium-small stations. The training undertaken versus the needs showed 11 036 as the total number of members who needed to be trained in 2009/10 against 16 515 members who actually attended training for period 1 April 2009 to 19 February 2010. A steady increase of members who received detective introductory, core and specialised training had been recorded over the past five years. The average number of dockets on hand per detective was 66.

Free State Province
Provincial Commissioner Amon Mashigo said that the province had a population of about 2 902 400, against 109 police stations. Human resources in terms of RAG and real figures reflected that there were 8 415 members granted in terms of SA Police Act, with an actual figure of 8 539. Those employed in terms of the Public Service Act were, granted 2 421 against an actual figure of 2 260. The difference between the granted total and the actual total was 37 (0.34%). There were 2 720 vehicles for a total 10 799 members, making a 1:3,9 vehicle ratio. Firearms and bulletproof vests were enough for every member in the province to have one. Prevalent crimes included Common Assault, Assault GBH, rape, common robbery, robbery aggravating, murder, attempted murder, sexual assault and attempted robbery incidents. Stations with highest reported crimes included Parkweg, Thabong, Boemspruit, Sasolburg, Kagsanong, Bethlehem and Botshabelo.

Station performance revealed that the top three performing stations for high contact crimes were Batho, Botshabelo and Odendaalsrus. The bottom three were Bloemspruit, Kagisanong and Parkweg. Large station top performers were Virginia, Kroonstad, Batho and Ficksburg. The bottom four stations were Mangaung, Bloemspruit, Kagisanong and Parkweg. Reitz, Allanridge, Koppies, and Theunissen were classified as top medium and small station performers. Heidedal, Soutpan, Kopanong and Verkeerdevlei were among those stations ranked as bottom performers. The training needs, matched against training undertaken, revealed a total 13 128 members attending training for period 1 April 2009 to 19 February 2010, while more than the 11 772 needed to be trained for 2009/10. Although specialised training for detectives had decreased in 2009/10, core training numbers doubled compared to the previous financial year. The average number of dockets on hand per detective was 69.

Gauteng Province
Acting Provincial Commissioner for Gauteng Simon Mpembe had prepared the presentation which was delivered by Mr Dramat. With a total population of 10 531 300, there were 135 police stations to police that population. About 28 375 members were granted in terms of SA Police Act although the actual figure stood at 29 355. The actual number for members recruited in terms of Public Service Act was 6 019, up from a granted 5 319. Human resource personnel in Gauteng was over by 1 680 (4.99%). There were 8 008 vehicles at the disposal of a total 35 374 members, making a 1:4,4 vehicle ratio. Firearms and bulletproof vests were said to be more than enough for every member to have one. Common crimes reported in most of the stations included common assault, assault GBH, robbery aggravating, common robbery, robbery with weapon other than firearm, rape, attempted murder, murder and sexual assault cases. Stations that received the most number of cases were Johannesburg Central, Hillbrow, Moroka, Booysens, Temba, Pretoria Central, Roodeport, Tembisa and Alexandra. 

High contact crime top three performing stations were identified as Sebokeng, Katlehong and Atteridgeville. The bottom three performers were Benoni, Temba and Booysens. Large station top performers were Sebokeng, Sharpeville, Orlando and Jabulani. Large station bottom performers were Midrand, Akasia, Honeydew and Wierdabrug. The top medium and small station performers were stations such as Boipatong, Rosebank, Dube, the Barrage, Klipriver, Laudium, Zonkizizwe, and Enkangala. Stations such as Hekpoort, Olifantsfontein, Boschkop, Ratanda, Dunnottar, Magaliesburg, and Sebenza were among the bottom ranked performers. The total number of members that needed to be trained in order to meet the capacity needs of the province was 26 389 even though a total 30 437 members had attended training from period 1 April 2009 to 19 February 2010. Figures revealed a fluctuating trend in detective training, more so for introductory and specialised training.

KwaZulu Natal Province
KZN Provincial Commissioner Monnye Ngobeni compiled the report. With a population of 10 449 300, the province had 183 police stations to facilitate maintenance of law and order. There were 19 615 members granted in terms of SA Police Act (actual 19 463), 4 692 granted in terms of Public Service Act (actual 4 394). Vehicles in the province were 5 919, against 23 857 members in total, making a 1:4 vehicle ratio. There was no shortage of bulletproof vests or firearms in the province of KwaZulu Natal. The types of contact crimes reported in the province were identical to the crimes reported in Gauteng province. The top contributors in terms of reported contact crimes were Umlazi, Kwa Mashu, Inanda, Phonix, Durban Central, Plessislaer, Empangeni, Chatsworth, Kwadukuza and Verulam.

Individual station performance in the province showed that the high contact crime stations top three performers were point, Durban Central and Nongoma. The bottom three stations were Verulam, Phoenix and Pinetown. Large stations top four performers were Ulundi, Umbumbulu, Nquthu and Mpumalanga. The large stations bottom four performers on the other hand were Umbilo, Verulam, Phoenix and Westville. Medium and small stations’ top performers were Ezibayeni, Mahlabathini, Mkhuze, Nkandla, Msinsini, Nhlanhleni and Ingwavuma. The Bottom performing stations were Besters, Winterton, Mayville, Hlobane, Hammansdale, New Hanover and Southport. More members had attended training compared to the number that needed to be trained. Detective training had shown improvement compared to other years, especially at introductory level. The average number of dockets on hand per detective was 44.

Western Cape
Provincial Commissioner Mr Mzwandile Petros compiled the details of the presentation.  The province had 149 stations policing a population of 5 356 900. The human resources granted in terms of SA Police Act was 16 464 but the actual figure was 16 060. An actual figure of 3 697 members were in the records of the department, which had granted 3 981. There were 688 (3.37%) positions that still had to be filled. The province had 5 813 vehicles used by 19 757 officials. A vehicle ratio stood at 1:3,4 per vehicle. Firearms and bulletproof vests were enough for every member to have one. The contact crimes reported included common assault, assault GBH, common robbery, robbery aggravating, rape, robbery with a weapon other than firearm, murder and sexual assault. Stations that contributed most of the crimes mentioned were Mitchells Plain, Nyanga, Worcester, Khayelitsha, Harare, Cape Town Central, Delft, Mfuleni and Gugulethu. The top three performers were Oudthoorn, Manenberg and Elsies River. The bottom three performing stations were Nyanga, Mitchells Plain and Kuilsriver. Large station top performers included Caledon, Vredendal, Thembalethu and Ceres. The bottom four performing large stations were Lansdowne, Athlone, Muizenberg and Milnerton. Training had been received by 33 469 of members against a target set of 29 802. Detective training at introductory and core training levels continued to improve, while specialised training figures had dropped since the 2008/09 financial year. The average number of dockets per official was estimated to be 48.

Mpumalanga Province
The presentation was compiled from the input given by Provincial Commissioner Thulani Ntombela. The province had a population of 3 606 800 and 85 police stations. It had 8 025 members employed in terms of SA Police Act provisions. Those employed in terms of the Public Service Act amounted to 1 874, giving a combined total of 9 800 personnel. There was a surplus of 196 (2.02%) members in the police force in Mpumalanga as of February 2010. The province had 2 091 vehicles serving 9 899 officers at a ratio of 1:4,7. Every member had their own bulletproof vest and a firearm. Most contact crimes reported in the province were similar to those reported in the province of KwaZulu Natal. The stations that had contributed more reported crimes in the province were among others, Witbank, Kanyamazane, Vosman, Ermelo, Kabokweni, Tonga, Embalenhle, Nelspruit, Middleburg and Kwamhlanga. The top three performing high contact crime stations were reported to be Kwaggafontein, Calcutta and Bushbuckridge. The bottom three stations were Witbank, Mhluzi and Ermelo.

Large stations which were top performing in the province were identified as Kwaggafontein, Calcutta, Mhala and Bushbuckridge. The bottom four on the other hand were Witbank, Ermelo, Middleburg and Kwamhlanga. Medium and small stations that were top performers included Ekulindeni, Skukuza, Schoemansdal and Hendrina. The bottom performers in the same category were Sundra, Greylingstad, Matsulu and Lows Creek. Of a total of 5 458 members that needed to be trained, the actual number of members attending training was 8 558, for the period 1 April 2009 to 19 February 2010. Detective training at introductory level only started to show signs of improvement in the previous and current financial years respectively. The average number of dockets on hand was 34 per detective.

North West Province
The presentation drew from the input of Provincial Commissioner Lesetja Beetha. The province had a population of 3 450 400 and 81 police stations. There were 7 548 members employed in accordance with provisions in the SA Police Act and 1 847 in terms of the Public Service Act. A surplus personnel of 347 (3.84%) existed in the province. The vehicle ratio was 1.4 and every member did have their own bulletproof vest and firearm. The commonly reported crimes were reported to range from assault GBH, common assault, rape, robbery aggravating, common robbery, attempted murder, murder, sexual assault. The top contributors of the reported crimes were stations such as Rustenburg, Brits, Ikaneng, Klerksdorp, and Jouberton. The top three performing stations were Tlhabane, Vryburg and Potchefstroom. The bottom three performers were Brits, Rustenburg and Phokeng. Large stations that were doing well included Zeerust, Tlhabane, Wolmaransstad and Boitekong. The bottom performers were identified as Brits, Rustenburg, Phokeng and Hartbeespoortdam. The total number of members that needed to be trained was 6 588 although 11 330 attended training for the period 1 April 2009 to 19 February 2010. Detective training numbers were improving except for introductory phase. The average number of dockets per person was 54.

Northern Cape Province
The input came from Provincial Commissioner Miriam Mbombo. The province had a population of 1 147 600, 91 police stations and 6 785 members. The members employed in terms of the Police Act totalled 5 202, while those employed in terms of the Public Service Act were 1 584. About 332 (4.66%) posts were yet to be filled. With a vehicle ratio of 1:4, the province had a shortage of bulletproof vests (6 705) but enough firearms for every member to carry one. Reported crimes involved assault GBH, common assault, common robbery, robbery with weapon other than firearm, attempted murder, murder, sexual assault and robbery aggravating. The stations were most of the crimes were reported included Kimberley, Galeshewe, Upington, Roodepan, Rosedale, Kakamas, Kuruman, Mothibistad and Warrenton. Top three performing stations were Rosedale, Kakamas and Groblershoop. The bottom three were Upington, Galeshewe and Kimberley. Larger stations that were doing well included Rosedale, Kakamas, De Aar and Roodepan. At the bottom were Kuruman, Upington, Galeshewe and Kimberley. The top performing medium and small stations were Hondeklip Bay, Pella, Van Zylsrus, Port Nolloth and Pofadder. The bottom performers were Modder River, Lime Acres, Mothibistad, Danielskuil and Belmont. The total number of members that attended training was 7 990, against a total 9 642 that needed to be trained for 2009/10. The number of members who received detective training continued to fluctuate from year to year. The average number of dockets on hand per official was roughly 46.

Limpopo Province
The input from the province came from Provincial Commissioner Calvin Sengani. It had a population of 5 227 200, 93 police stations, 12 021 members and 3 419 vehicles (vehicle ratio of 1:3,5). Although every member had a firearm, the bulletproof vests in the province were fewer (11 989) than the total number of members (12 021). Common contact crimes in terms of prevalence were assault GBH, common assault, rape, common robbery, robbery aggravating, murder, robbery with a weapon other than firearm and attempted common robbery. Most crimes were reported in stations such as Thohoyandou, Seshego, Polokwane, Mankweng, Mahwelereng, Bolobedu, Dennilton, Lebowakgomo, Giyani and Musina. Top performing stations were Giyani, Bolobedu and Makhado. The bottom performers were Lebowakgomo, Bela Bela and Letsitele. The top large station performers were Vuwani, Mphephu, Motetema and Namakgale. Their bottom counterparts were Lebowakgomo, Bela-Bela, Ritavi and Musina. Medium and small stations that performed well included Tshitale, Malipsdrift, Haenertsburg and Tshilwavhusiku. The struggling stations were Lephalale, Naboomspruit, Gilead and Elandskraal. Members that attended training were 2 965 more than the total number of members that needed to be trained in order to meet the capacity needs of the province. Detective training at introductory level had not been attracting large numbers. Specialised and core training for detectives was showing signs of improvement compared to previous years. The average number of dockets on hand per detective was 54. 

Discussion
Mr G Schneemann (ANC) asked the Commissioners to unload what they really meant by phrases such as top performers and bottom performers. He further asked for clarity on the details given about the number of vehicles in the province. How many of those vehicles mentioned were operational.

The Chairperson asked for a detailed explanation of what the key performance indicators were.

Commissioner Landu said the department had a score chart with which it measured stations and provinces in terms of crimes reported and dealt with. A performance chart was used which had all the crimes that could possibly be committed and things like conviction rates, turnaround time to respond to the problem, and statistics from previous years were examples of what was used to say a particular station ranked above another particular one with regard to the same or related offences.  

Mr Schneemann observed that almost all but two provinces had no bulletproof shortages and that was very contradictory to what the committee had observed during its oversight visits in most of the police stations. The number of members attending training in many instances was larger than the total number of members in the province! How come that was so?

Commissioner Landu said the shortages of bulletproof vests had, in certain instance, been exaggerated. What often happened was that even though there may have been a difference between the number of members and the number of bulletproof vests. At most stations, there were some members who performed functions that did not need any use of bulletproof vests. When counting was being done for the total number of members vis-a-vis the number of bulletproof vests, it was possible for it to appear as if some members did not have the vests when in fact they never needed them.  

Ms D Schafer (DA) could not understand why more people were trained than those that needed to be trained. Why then was it that there were so many vacancies that needed to be filled when more and more people were being trained. The information given on the docket ratio did not give a true picture of how things played out at operational level. She further queried why other provinces had excess in terms of bulletproof vests and others had shortages, and also why there were certain provinces with excess firearms when others were in need.

Commissioner Mashigo replied excesses with regard to firearms depended on the calibre of the firearms supplied. It followed therefore that certain firearms would be purchased and stored and were not the normally used service pistols.

Ms A Van Wyk was concerned that based on what she had observed during oversight visits, the training facilities were not in a position to accommodate the additional numbers - which was the case in every province. On bulletproof vests, she said they must have been hidden somewhere because they were not there when they visited the stations. She believed that the arrangement of having the national department give presentations was not good idea. It would have been better if the individual province gave its own presentations.

Mr Dramat said he would not have wanted to leave the Committee with members having formed an opinion that the presentations were manipulated by the national department. As a matter of fact, the national department only compiled the information provided into a single format for a user-friendly presentation format; otherwise all the information contained was obtained directly from the provincial commissioners.

Commissioner Petros agreed with the statement made by Commissioner Dramat. All information given was obtained supplied by the Provincial Commissioners.

Rev K Meshoe (ACDP) asked how effective CCTV cameras in cities were. Was there some form of service agreement or memorandum of understanding between the city, police and companies that manufactured and monitored those surveillance cameras? It was also worrying that the member-vehicle ratio was almost uniform in every province. Perhaps the presentation had been doctored by the national department in order to present a favourable state of affairs in the department. When one looked at the City Press report that was published not so long ago, it stated that up to 50 members were using one vehicle. That report was not compatible with the 1:4 vehicle ration mentioned in the presentations.

Commissioner Mpembe (Gauteng) replied that there indeed were service level agreements between city, Joburg Metro Police Department, and the companies involved in operating of CCTV cameras. Often times one would see such operations in place where SAPS and JMPD would exchange vehicles and information in policing the city. Problems existed in Pretoria where such collaborations were not that well established.

Mr V Ndlovu (IFP) said not a single report mentioned anything about the problems within the police force; for example cases of brutality at police stations, deaths and various other forms of abuse. If those were no longer existent, why was it that there were many complaints of police misconduct lodged with the Independent Complaints Directorate (IDC)?

Commissioner Landu (Eastern Cape) replied that it was true that incidents of brutality and deaths occurred in police stations. However, it was important to note that certain deaths in police cells were not deaths as a result of police action. Others would be deaths of people who were assaulted by members of the community after being alleged to have committed an offence and when such people died in police cells, it got recorded as deaths in police cells.

Commissioner Mashigo (Free State) said his province, the Free State, had had a Director and a Superintendent arrested over allegations of misconduct and brutality. The code of ethics was very clear and where there were deviations, disciplinary proceedings and even criminal sanctions in appropriate circumstances would follow.

Ms D Kohler-Barnard (DA) said the information given through the presentation was “so thin on information”. Ordinarily one would have expected a detailed document from which the presentations drew. On bulletproof vests, she said the claims by most provinces that there were no shortages of bulletproof vests could not be trusted. Why was it that the presentations identified the poorest performing stations but nothing was said about what exactly those stations were doing wrong or the cause for those shortages?

Western Cape Commissioner Petros replied according to his understanding, bulletproof vests were in abundance, it only happened that sometimes police officials themselves did not want to wear the vests. When asked why they did not have them, they would say they never had them in the first place - which was not true. A directive had been issued by the national department to all station commanders to take strong measures against officials who, for no valid reason, went on duty without bulletproof vests. The directive was necessary because the department was being sued by families of those members who had been killed on duty without the protection of bulletproof vests.

Ms M Dube (ANC) supported the claim by members who felt the presentations gave very little information. Who was responsible for determining poor performance and what criteria where they using? After diagnosing the problems, what support measures were put in place to correct the situation?

Mr G Lekgetho asked the national department to explain its promotion and suspension policies. One often had members who were dying of frustration within rank and file of SAPS because they had been there for over 20 years, with new posts being advertised and taken by people from outside. Complaints had been raised that the department was not adequately compensating members who were working overtime for soccer world cup events. On suspensions, he asked if members were suspended with or without salary, and how long did it take to finalise the matter?

Commissioner Landu replied that in his province officials were suspended without pay. Depending on the complexity of the disciplinary proceedings, the turnaround time envisaged by his province was to finalise matters within three months of the suspension.

Mr M George (COPE) said the presentations were far from what was the situation at ground level. It seemed the aim of the presentations was to impress the Committee! Based on the reports given, it would be difficult for the Committee to help the department because they had given the impression that all was running smoothly in the department.

Commissioner Ntombela said Mpumalanga had several challenges with regard to detective training. At present, there was a shortage of 219 detectives in the province. Corruption amongst SAPS officials was also becoming perverse and some of the reasons for that had to do with poor remuneration and unfavourable working conditions.

Ms P Mocumi (ANC) said the presentation from the North West province said nothing about stock theft being prevalent in the province. Everyone who came from North West would tell you that stock theft was a major problem in the province, but the report did not mention it as a problem. Similarly, provinces like Gauteng were known to be capital cities of car hijacking but no mention was made in the report about such and also about the problem of undocumented foreigners.

Commissioner Mpembe said his province, Gauteng, had too many people living in it. The police-population ratio was simply not adequate since the 10.5 million people excluded an estimated 3 million foreign nationals living in the city. As a result, there needed to be more resources given to the province to police the province better.

Mr Chauke asked whether the police had enough capacity to deal with stock theft. There were reports that some syndicates were operating from outside our borders and were colluding with the South African police force.

Commissioner Beetha said the challenge of stock theft indeed existed in the province but the difficulty with measuring the scale of the problem was that some livestock went astray but would be reported as stolen, only later to be found. The stock theft unit had been established to investigate the scale of the problem and raise awareness about looking after livestock. The province had agreements with Namibia and Botswana and often they assisted each other with information and conducting operations aimed at reducing the problem.

Mr G Lekgetho (ANC) asked the Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner how long he had been acting in his current position as Acting Provincial Commissioner and how long would he remain acting before a permanent appointment was made.

Commissioner Mpembe replied he had been acting for three weeks while Provincial Commissioner Naidu had been on sick leave.

Mr H Chauke (ANC) said the presentations were good and well structured but lacked substance. He suspected that the reports were not an independent reflection of provincial state of affairs.

The Chairperson said the decision for the national department to compile the presentations puzzled her. Provincial Commissioners were also accountable to the provincial legislature, and ordinarily, one would have expected that they knew how to prepare presentations and could have done so with much ease. The Committee expected a detailed document, on which the presentation was based. To simply rely on the presentation as the final word from provinces was just not good enough. The Western Cape once reported a challenge of ill-discipline from new recruits, but the presentation did not even touch on it. Other issues highlighted by the Western Cape during President Zuma’s meetings with SAPS top brass was the need to review the training of officers and the rise of domestic violence. None of those issues were brought before the Committee. Limpopo had said to the President that it was facing the challenge of undocumented foreigners and Zimbabwean children flocking into the province. Why was it that nothing was said about the ICD recommendations on many disciplinary matters? There were problems in many hostels in KwaZulu Natal, stock theft in certain areas bordering Swaziland and Mozambique, but the Committee was not briefed on the scale of those problems. Perhaps it was better to ask the Provincial Commissioners to go back and prepare a real report not the artificial one presented before the Committee.

Commissioner Sengani said the problem of foreigners was much complicated than thought of. Foreigners who fled their countries and who were undocumented were the target of numerous crimes in South Africa, especially theft of property and money. Since many could not open bank accounts to store their money, they were easy targets for criminals. 

KZN Provincial Commissioner Ngobeni said the comments and concerns raised were noted and that these would be looked into and answered at a later stage. She conceded that challenges existed in the hostels, particularly in KwaMashu and that stock theft was on the rise in place such as Nquthu.

Commissioner Ntombela said Mpumalanga Province had similar problems of undocumented foreigners flocking to the province, especially people crossing over to and from neighbouring Swaziland. What made things even more difficult was that certain chiefs regarded such movements “as relatives” visiting one another from across borders. However the police together with the army were taking measures to secure the borders of the republic. 

The Chairperson asked the provincial commissioners to prepare a thorough, detailed document about the state of their respective provinces, together with answers to the questions asked and to submit the document to the Committee Secretary by 16 March 2010.

The meeting was adjourned.