Police Minister Confirms 13 Million Unsolved Criminal Cases Were Closed in Last 10 Years, SA Debates
- Acting Minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia, admitted that millions of criminal cases were closed without being solved
- Build One SA (Bosa) leader Dr Mmusi Maimane expressed concern that the police can't deal with the rising crime rate
- South Africans weighed in on Professor Cachalia's admission about the closed cases, sharing mixed reactions to his statement
Source: UGC
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism
WESTERN CAPE – Over 13 million criminal cases have been closed in the past ten years, without being solved.
That was confirmed by Acting Minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia, in Parliament, in response to a question by Build One SA (Bosa) leader Dr Mmusi Maimane. Dr Maimane was questioning whether the police were able to deal with the rising crime levels and how much success they have had over the years.
Over 21 million cases reported in 10 years
During his response to Dr Maimane’s question, the acting police minister stated that a total of 21,497,020 criminal cases were opened over the past 10 years.
He explained that only 8,050,088 were solved, while 13,264,019 were closed without resolution.
Professor Cachalia did clarify that the unresolved cases were not closed permanently.
“It can be reopened if, for example, new evidence emerges or if the docket was closed with a brought-forward date in the subsequent years,” Professor Cachalia explained.
Maimane is concerned about the police’s inability to deal with crime
In response to Professor Cachalia’s answer, Dr Maimane said that this translated to a South African Police Service (SAPS) that was struggling to deal with the country’s rising crime levels.
“Crime is rampant, and South Africans are paying the price for a police service that cannot cope,” he said.
He also noted that the SAPS was operating with a shortage of 2,344 detectives, and along with under-resourced police stations, it was crippling the SAPS’ ability to fight crime effectively.
Source: Getty Images
How did South Africans respond to the unresolved cases?
Social media users weighed in on the acting minister’s admission, sharing mixed reactions to it.
Matthews Maphalala stated:
“Many people never opened cases because of this. They knew they would never get justice. I'm one of them.”
Nobantu Mabrr Mdanyana asked:
“So, how is he planning to solve this?”
Tony Davis noted:
“Lots of statistics, but no plan of how to solve it. Typical. Lots of talk and numbers to demonstrate intelligence, but no action, man.”
Sibusiso Sindane said:
“No surprises there. Even my beloved uncle was murdered, but nothing happened because of the incompetence and corruption.”
Mathiki Moselakgomo added:
“The cases are not solved because they implicate high-profile people in government.”
Mandla Mn Cube said:
“This is nonsense, and then Mchunu thinks disbanding the PKTT is a clever move.”
Samuel Dudley stated:
“Criminals have more rights in South Africa.”
Professor Cachalia comments on Western Cape gang violence crisis
Briefly News reported that Professor Cachalia recently visited the Western Cape in response to rising gang violence.
The Acting Minister of Police weighed in on whether the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) needed to be deployed.
Professor Cachalia visited the province on the same day that news broke of the murder of three men in Mitchell's Plain.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
