Category: Africa

President Cyril Ramaphosa says rebuilding public confidence in the South African Police Service (SAPS) must go hand in hand with rooting out corruption and criminality within the law enforcement agency.

In his weekly newsletter on Monday, the President said South Africans have a right to know that those entrusted with fighting crime are not themselves working with criminals.

The comments come as the country continues to follow proceedings at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality and Political Interference in the Criminal Justice System, headed by Judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga.

“The allegations that have been made about criminal infiltration, corruption and political interference in parts of our criminal justice system are deeply disturbing.

“South Africans are entitled to know the truth. They are entitled to know that those entrusted with fighting crime are not themselves working with criminals,” President Ramaphosa said.

President Ramaphosa said the Madlanga Commission must be allowed to conduct its work thoroughly and without interference, adding that wrongdoing must have consequences.

“The Commission must be allowed to do its work thoroughly and without fear, favour or interference. Where wrongdoing is established, there must be consequences. Where crimes have been committed, the law must take its course,” he said. 

The President was reflecting on the state of policing in South Africa following the South African Police Service National Commemoration Day, which was held on Sunday to honour police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty over the past year.

He said 12 police officers died in the line of duty in the 12 months to March this year – half the number recorded in the previous year. 

“Although this is half as many deaths as the year before, even one death of a SAPS member is one too many,” he said.

President Ramaphosa paid tribute to police officers, who continue to serve under difficult and dangerous circumstances, saying the SAPS remains at the forefront of efforts to keep the country safe.

This includes visible policing, as well as operations targeting illegal mining, cable theft, infrastructure vandalism, smuggling, counterfeiting, human trafficking and other priority crimes.

The President said the SAPS has more than 180 000 members, alongside more than 3 000 police reservists, who respond to calls for help, investigate crimes, search for missing children and confront gangs and organised crime.

“For every incompetent or corrupt SAPS member, there are many thousands more who are not. Most SAPS members serve with honour and embody the values of the badge they wear.

“We should never allow the wrongdoing of some to diminish the service of the many,” he said.

At the same time, President Ramaphosa said government must act against those who bring the police service into disrepute.

“The alleged infiltration of the SAPS by criminals and vested interests, supported by corrupt members, must not be allowed to define the SAPS, nor should the actions of a corrupt few be allowed to define the many thousands of police officers who serve our country with honesty and courage.”

Restoring trust

The President said public confidence in the police remains a significant challenge.

He cited the 2025/2026 Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey published by Statistics South Africa, which found that victims sometimes do not report crimes because they believe “the police would not do anything about it”.

“We cannot dismiss this sentiment as simply a perception. We must take it seriously. Trust is one of the most important weapons we have in the fight against crime,” he said. 

President Ramaphosa said communities need to know that when they report crimes, they will be treated with respect and that their cases will receive the attention they deserve. 

He stressed that confidence in the police cannot simply be demanded but must be earned through effective policing. 

“We must also recognise that confidence cannot be demanded. It has to be earned. It is earned when a telephone call is answered, when a police vehicle arrives, when a case is properly investigated and when a victim is treated with dignity.

“Above all, it is earned when criminals are arrested, prosecuted and brought to justice.”

Strengthening the SAPS

President Ramaphosa said government is working to strengthen the SAPS through increased capacity, including the service’s recruitment drive, Project 11 000.

The next intake of 5 500 constables will soon enter training academies.

However, he said building a capable police service requires more than increasing personnel numbers.

“Strengthening the police is not only about increasing numbers. It is about ensuring that we recruit the right people, give them the right training, equip them properly and place them where they are most needed.”

The President said government will continue to professionalise the SAPS and make policing a career of choice for talented South Africans.

He said psychometric and integrity testing now form part of the first phase of recruitment before prospective recruits proceed to fitness, vetting, medical and other stages.

“Policing requires something more. It requires character. It requires discipline, and above all, it requires integrity.” 

President Ramaphosa said there can be no place in the police service for criminals, corruption or political interference.

“There can be no place in the SAPS for criminals. There can be no place for corruption, and there can be no place for political interference in the work of the police.”

He also called for stronger crime intelligence, better detective work, improved forensic capabilities and greater use of technology, alongside police stations that function effectively, and greater police visibility in communities.

Building safer communities

President Ramaphosa said building an effective and accountable police service is a responsibility shared by society, including through participation in community policing forums, becoming a reservist and reporting crime.

“Government carries the primary responsibility for keeping people safe, but the police cannot defeat crime without the support and cooperation of communities.” 

He also recognised businesses, community policing forums, neighbourhood organisations, traditional leaders, faith-based organisations and ordinary citizens, who support efforts to make communities safer.

The President said South Africa still has significant work to do to build a safe, secure and peaceful society.

“The task before us is clear. We must be relentless in pursuing criminals, and we must be equally relentless in ensuring that criminality and corruption have no place within the institutions that are meant to protect us.”

He said the two objectives – fighting crime and rooting out corruption – are inseparable.

“These two tasks go together. We cannot build public confidence in the police unless we root out corruption. And we cannot defeat crime unless the police have the confidence and cooperation of the public.” 

President Ramaphosa concluded by paying tribute to the country’s police officers, who continue to serve communities. 

“To the many thousands of police officers who get up each day, put on their uniforms and go out to serve our communities: we thank you.

“We honour those who have fallen. We support those who continue to serve, and we will continue the work of building a police service that is professional, capable, honest and worthy of the trust of the South African people,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za

2

South Africa must empower youth, women and people with disabilities to not just use emerging technologies, but to build it, shape it and drive the digital economy.

This according to Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Mmapaseka Steve Letsike who delivered remarks at the first Youth, AI and the Future of Work in South Africa Summit.

The summit was hosted by the South African Digital Governance Forum at Wits University in Johannesburg on Monday under the theme: “The AI Divide – Ensuring Youth, Women and Persons with Disabilities are Not Left Behind”.

Letsike called for an inclusive approach to artificial intelligence (AI), noting that AI is no longer a technology confined to engineers and computer scientists, but has become an increasingly influential part of everyday life already being used across sectors, including finance, retail, agriculture, education, healthcare, government and media.

“The much more important question is: on what terms will we participate?” Letsike probed.

She said the traditional understanding of the digital divide – whether people can access the internet – is no longer sufficient in the age of AI.

The deputy minister identified three new frontiers of digital inclusion, namely, connection, capability and command.

“Connection gets a person through the door, capability determines what they are able to do once they enter, [and] command is something deeper still.

“It is the ability to shape the technologies themselves; to build the enterprise, understand the algorithm, govern the data, own the intellectual property, participate in setting the rules and share meaningfully in the wealth that these technologies create,” Letsike said.

While noting South Africa’s progress in expanding connectivity through initiatives such as SA Connect, Letsike warned that access to broadband alone will not guarantee economic inclusion.

“A household can have Wi-Fi and still remain economically excluded.

“A young person can own a smartphone and still lack the literacy required to understand the systems shaping their digital environment,” the Deputy Minister said.

The deputy minister emphasised that the urgency of building AI capability is underscored by South Africa’s economic challenges, including high unemployment, particularly among young people.

Breaking barriers

Letsike noted that AI has the potential to improve productivity, create new opportunities and lower barriers to entrepreneurship, but its benefits will not be distributed automatically.

Furthermore, for women, AI can reduce barriers to entrepreneurship, expand access to knowledge and markets, and make flexible learning more accessible.

However, women also needed to be represented among those developing technologies, financing innovation, governing platforms and owning the wealth generated by the digital economy.

“Automation can inherit a gender,” Letsike warned, noting that the risk existing inequalities can be reproduced through artificial intelligence and biased data.

The deputy minister also highlighted the opportunities AI presented for persons with disabilities, including speech recognition, image description, predictive text and intelligent interfaces.

However, she warned that technology developed without considering people with disabilities can create new forms of exclusion.

“Accessibility must therefore cease to be regarded as an accommodation added at the end of innovation. It must become part of the architecture of innovation itself,” the deputy minister said.

AI literacy

Letsike challenged the belief that young people are automatically equipped for the digital economy simply because they have grown up using technology.

“Knowing how to scroll through TikTok does not necessarily mean understanding why TikTok selected the next video,” the deputy minister noted.

She called for greater investment in AI literacy across society, alongside access to finance, procurement and markets for innovators and entrepreneurs who have historically been excluded.

Additionally, Africa should also ensure that it develops its own technological capabilities, rather than becoming merely a consumer of technologies developed elsewhere.

The deputy minister also urged South Africa to cross the new frontier of digital inclusion together by connecting people, equipping them with the necessary capabilities and ensuring that the power to shape the digital future is increasingly shared across society.

“The frontier now before us asks whether they will have the agency to shape what comes next,” Letsike said. – SAnews.gov.za

5

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has launched a manhunt for an inmate who escaped from the Rooigrond Maximum Correctional Centre near Mahikeng, in the North West.

According to the department, inmate Edward Khomotso Madiba, was being detained in the single cells on a further charge relating to a “previous escape when he managed to break out of the correctional centre”.

Madiba is serving a 20-year sentence for robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of a firearm and ammunition, kidnapping, and parole violation.

“Preliminary information indicates that offender Madiba cut through the burglar bar door of the single cells.

“DCS has activated its security detail and is working with other law enforcement agencies to locate and apprehend the escapee as a matter of urgency. All necessary measures are being implemented to ensure that offender Madiba is traced and brought back into custody.

“A total of eight officials have been served with notices of contemplation of suspension, pending the outcome of the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape,” the department said.

Members of the public are urged to immediately alert law enforcement “should they have any information that could assist in establishing the whereabouts of Madiba”.

“Correctional Services has also instituted a full-scale investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape, including the security measures at the facility.

“This is to establish how the escape occurred and to determine whether any negligence or breach of security contributed to the incident,” the DCS said. – SAnews.gov.za

5

The courage of generations of South African and Namibian women must translate into tangible improvements in the lives of women and girls today and in the future, says Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga.

Chikunga was speaking at the National School of Government’s South Africa-Namibia Ministerial Dialogue on Monday, where she called for the two countries to move beyond commemorating their shared liberation history and focus on delivering measurable progress on gender equality, justice and women’s empowerment.

Held under the theme: “From Resistance to Results: Honouring the Legacy of South African and Namibian Women through Leadership, Justice and Transformative Action”, the virtual dialogue reflected on the role women played in challenging injustice and shaping the democratic development of both countries.

Chikunga said the intertwined histories of South Africa and Namibia continue to offer important lessons for the present generation.

“As South Africa commemorates the 70th anniversary of the historic 1956 Women’s March, we do so in conversation with the wider liberation memory of our region, including the courage of Namibian women and communities, whose resistance during the 1959 Old Location uprising remains part of Southern Africa’s unfinished instruction to history,” she said.

More than 20 000 women marched on the Union Buildings in Pretoria in 1956 in protest against pass laws, while communities in Windhoek resisted forced removals during the 1959 Old Location uprising.

For Chikunga, these moments remain connected across time and borders.

“These moments speak to one another across geography and time. They remind us that women and communities carried the burden of history with courage, sacrifice and moral clarity, so that later generations could stand with greater freedom and responsibility,” she said.

The challenge now, she said, is to ensure that this legacy produces results.

“Legacy is what we inherit. It asks us to remember. Impact is what we are responsible for producing,” the Minister said.

She stressed that progress should ultimately be measured by whether women’s material and lived realities have improved because institutions acted on their commitments.

This requires institutions with authority, protected budgets, public timelines and leaders, who are prepared to be measured by results rather than commitments alone, she said.

Chikunga pointed to the establishment of South Africa’s National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide as an important step towards building lasting institutional capacity to address gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).

She also identified women’s economic empowerment, digital inclusion and leadership as key to building future-ready societies.

Women who remain excluded from capital, procurement, innovation and the digital economy cannot fully benefit from the promise of freedom, she warned.

Building on a shared history

Chikunga said the longstanding cooperation between South Africa and Namibia is an opportunity for the two countries to learn from each other and turn shared commitments into tangible action.

“Two governments choosing to learn from one another, account to one another and remain visible to the citizens whose lives must be changed by our commitments.”

The Minister said the two countries should continue building on their shared history to strengthen institutions, expand opportunities and improve the lives of women and girls.

“Our collective responsibility is to ensure that these questions are responded to, by understanding the legacies we inherited and building in all frontiers the lasting impact future generations demand from us,” the Minister said.

Women’s legacy demands action

Acting Principal of the National School of Government, Phindile Mkwanazi, said the courage of women in both countries had helped shape the course of liberation.

“We also recognise the courage of Namibian women during the 1959 Old Location Resistance. In both countries, women stood together against injustice and helped shape the course of our liberation and democratic development.

“Their legacy calls on us to move beyond remembrance. It requires us to translate constitutional rights, policies, and regional commitments into meaningful improvements in the lives of women and girls,” said Mkwanazi.

She said women continue to face structural barriers, including gender-based violence, unequal economic participation, underrepresentation in leadership and exclusion from emerging opportunities in technology and the digital economy.

“This places the responsibility on public institutions. Gender equality must be reflected in how governments plan, budget, appoint, procure, deliver services and account for results,” Mkwanazi said. – SAnews.gov.za

2