On the same night as the Soweto shootings, four people were killed and eight others injured when gunmen stormed a Pietermaritzburg tavern and opened fire. Minister of Police Bheki Cele described the deaths as painful as most of the victims were young.
Cele also revealed that the country’s police force has shrunk by around 20 000 personnel in the last decade. In 2010, there were 195 000 police officers nationally while in 2022 there are only 176 000. Currently, 10 000 recruits are being trained at the Saps academies to address the shortage and bolster the force.
Mpho Kwinika from the Independent Policing Union of South Africa (IPUSA) believes that drastic structural reforms need to be introduced so that Saps can effectively tackle crime in the country.
Kwinika believes that strong policing leadership is also needed. They added that current officers occupying strategic positions within the police service must be dealt with as they may not work with new National Police Commissioner Sehlahle Masemola due to their allegiances with ousted Commissioner Khehla Sithole
They add that some members of IPUSA feel disillusioned with their jobs and as if their services are no longer needed. Kwinka says Commissioner Masemola needs to conduct an internal audit to ensure the police officials have the expertise for the position they occupy while also ensuring that individuals with vast expertise occupy positions where it can be best used to serve the country.
“With the new organisational design the police commissioner needs to put these people back so they can serve South Africans. People want to be protected and currently, the police service is flat on that” concluded Kwinika.