DA Slams SAPS Amendment Bill for Sidelining Metro Police Powers
- The DA criticised the SAPS Amendment Bill, saying it failed to expand powers for capable municipal metro police departments
- The Portfolio Committee on Police met this week to begin considering the bill, which updates the SAPS Act of 1995
- Acting minister Firoz Cachalia introduced the bill, which addresses court rulings and Madlanga Commission recommendations
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SOUTH AFRICA — The Democratic Alliance has come out against the newly introduced South African Police Service Amendment Bill, arguing that it squanders an opportunity to strengthen the country's fight against crime by leaving metro police departments largely on the sidelines.
DA spokesperson on police Lisa Schickerling said acting minister Firoz Cachalia had failed to harness existing law-enforcement capacity within metropolitan areas. In her view, metros with demonstrated policing capability should have been given expanded investigative and operational powers under the new legislation.
What the SAPS amendment bill proposes
The Portfolio Committee on Police convened its first formal session this week to begin scrutinising the bill, which overhauls the SAPS Act of 1995. Cachalia tabled the legislation earlier this year, describing it as the product of a process that began in 2018 and took years to complete given its wide scope.
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The bill aligns police law with Constitutional Court judgments and recommendations from commissions of inquiry, including the Madlanga Commission. Among its key provisions, the proposed law updates legal definitions, declares warrantless searches and seizures unconstitutional, and introduces changes to internal governance aimed at reducing conflicts of interest. It also updates disciplinary and dismissal procedures within the service.
On the use of force, the bill restricts police officers to proportional and minimal force during public gatherings and protests. It does extend some role to metro police by assigning them specific responsibilities in public order policing, though the DA argues this falls well short of what capable metros could contribute.
Next steps for the bill
Cachalia told Parliament that findings from the Madlanga Commission, combined with a series of court rulings, had exposed a deep crisis within the policing environment and the broader criminal justice system.
The Portfolio Committee will now work through the draft legislation before taking it on public roadshows across the country to gather submissions. Once that process is complete, the bill will be referred to the National Assembly for debate and a vote.
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Source: Briefly News
