SAPS Turmoil: Cyril Ramaphosa Banks On Latest Probe To Pacify A Restless Nation

Dr. Reneva Fourie

Last Sunday, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi shook the country when he stood before the media and highlighted the existence of criminal syndicates operating inside our law enforcement structures. He demonstrated that optics matter.

What followed from the Union Buildings was a response that felt too calm, given the moment’s urgency. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address to the nation a week later was measured and careful.

He announced the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the infiltration of law enforcement and the wider criminal justice system. He placed Minister Senzo Mchunu on leave. And he promised accountability.

For millions of South Africans who live under the rule of fear, violence, and economic desperation every day, this announcement has to become more than just another costly performance of concern. It must be a genuine turning point. It must be the moment where justice stops being a privilege enjoyed by the powerful and starts becoming a lived reality for the poor and vulnerable.

Mkhwanazi’s revelations were nothing short of devastating. A “sophisticated criminal syndicate” had allegedly infiltrated the police, prosecutors, and even elements of the judiciary. He further accused the Minister of Police of interfering in sensitive investigations and disbanding the very task teams set up to fight political killings in KwaZulu-Natal. The revelations exposed corruption and the betrayal of our Constitution, as well as the hopes of every South African who still dares to believe in justice.

In response, President Ramaphosa announced the formation of a commission of inquiry led by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga. The commission will investigate the extent of this corruption and whether senior politicians have benefited financially or politically from the syndicate’s operations. It will also look at how state institutions were manipulated to protect criminals and punish whistleblowers.

All of this is necessary. But it will mean nothing if it does not deliver swift and fearless action, especially since no clear timeframe was provided. Too often, we have seen commissions gather evidence, compile reports, and then disappear into silence, while the criminals they expose remain free and sometimes even get promoted. South Africans will not tolerate more silence. We will not accept more commissions that soothe the public while the ground beneath us remains unsafe and bloodstained.

In many informal settlements, townships, and rural areas, criminality is the daily reality. People are robbed on their way to work, their children are recruited into gangs, and their homes are violated by (mostly) men who know the police won’t come. Gender-based violence is rampant, workers are extorted, and community leaders live under threat for speaking out.

The rot in law enforcement is not a new phenomenon. It has been growing in the shadows, fertilised by political interference, weak oversight, and a hollowed-out intelligence system. Yet, in the midst of all this, it is essential to acknowledge the tens of thousands of honest and hardworking police officers who continue to serve in these challenging conditions. Some men and women put on their uniforms every day knowing they will face danger without backup and hostility without support. They work long shifts for poor pay and little recognition. Some are killed in the line of duty. Others are silenced when they refuse to look away from wrongdoing.

These are the officers who deserve our sympathy and our support. These are the people we must protect when we say we want to clean up the police. Because they, too, have been failed by a system that rewards loyalty to politics over allegiance to justice.

The President has put the Minister of Police on leave of absence and will appoint Professor Firoz Cachalia to take over in August. While this sends a signal, it is not enough. Every politician named or implicated in this, or any other, corruption scandal must be removed from public office, immediately investigated, and if necessary, prosecuted without mercy. If a poor person can be arrested for stealing a loaf of bread, then a politician who enables murder, extortion and organised crime must go to prison without hesitation.

But cleaning house is not only about punishing individuals. It is about fixing the system that allowed this rot to spread. We cannot discuss police reform without addressing Crime Intelligence.

For years, this branch has inadequately prevented, detected, or arrested organised crime, and provided appropriate support to honest officers. It has often been used as a political tool rather than a national safeguard. If we do not start here, if we do not clean intelligence from top to bottom, we will never win this fight.

It is also essential that this commission extends beyond Pretoria boardrooms and hears from the people most affected by the crime crisis. Community leaders, whistleblowers, grieving families and residents who have watched their communities fall under criminal control must be called to speak, not as victims but as citizens whose voices matter.

The President ended his speech by affirming his commitment to the rule of law and the safety of all South Africans. That is a worthy commitment. But for those of us in the forgotten parts of this country, more than words. We need protection. We need justice. We need change.

The implementation of the decisions of this commission may be the last real chance to show that South African democracy still has the capacity and the courage to protect itself from collapse. It cannot become another delay tactic.

The files that have allegedly been put on hold must be reopened. Investigations must proceed. Prosecutors must act now. Justice cannot wait for a final report that may arrive too late to be of any consequence.

The President must not allow political considerations to override what is right. He must act with courage. Because the people are watching. And because we cannot survive another betrayal. Justice must become the norm, not the exception. It is time to prove that the law still lives in this land.

* Dr Reneva Fourie is a policy analyst specialising in governance, development and security.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.