Firoz Cachalia Confirms 24% of SAPS Officers Lack Driver’s Licences, SA Questions Police Competence

• Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia confirmed how many provincial police officers had driver's licences
• The Western Cape recorded the lowest officer-to-vehicle ratio, while the North West province recorded the highest ratio
• The figures sparked varied reactions on social media as some South Africans questioned officers' competence

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has spent a decade reporting on South Africa's political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

SOUTH AFRICA — Almost a quarter of South Africa's provincial police officers lack a valid driver's licence to drive a state vehicle, according to figures tabled before parliament.

Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia confirmed the statistics in a written reply to a parliamentary question posed by Democratic Alliance Member of the National Assembly Christiaan Smit.

Smit had requested a detailed breakdown of sworn SAPS officer numbers per province, active duty deployments, vehicle ratios, and the proportion of officers holding valid driver's licences.

Read also

Tsaka RSA Now Faces 4 Charges as State Adds 2 More at Polokwane Court

26,000 officers cannot legally drive

Cachalia's response revealed that 50,837 provincial SAPS officers are authorised to operate state vehicles, while 26,126 are not. That figure represents approximately 24% of the provincial police complement operating without valid driver's licences.

Vehicle access also varies sharply across provinces. The Western Cape recorded the lowest officer-to-vehicle ratio at 1:3.25, meaning roughly three state vehicles exist for every officer legally permitted to drive one. The North West province recorded the highest ratio at 1:5.35.

Cachalia acknowledged that effective policing is directly tied to the availability of both vehicles and personnel.

"Effective policing operations are dependent on the availability of vehicles and the allocation of personnel," he said.

"Policing demands, measured against the availability of policing capabilities, fluctuate daily and are addressed accordingly," the minister added.

How did South Africans react?

The findings drew sharp reactions on social media after the post circulated on X.

Read also

Khayelitsha woman turns social grant into R18,000 monthly rental income

@DilligafDave01 asked:

"How many of them can write?"

@WarwDGoldie questioned:

"Or matric?"

@MatthewsMaphal1 commented:

"That's why their cars don't last."

@Who_flungdung wrote:

"Why does this not surprise me"

@visedge added:

"And most of the rest are probably bought. The human experiment is over."

Decommissioned police vehicles go on auction

A TikTok clip of branded SAPS vehicles going under the hammer at a Polokwane auction on Saturday, 20 June has left South Africans fuming online.

Many South Africans pointed out that police stations across the country already face serious vehicle shortages, making the auction hard to swallow.

Briefly News reported that online reactions ranged from outright mockery to genuine concern about what the sale says about the state of policing.

Source: Briefly News