- On Monday, Police Minister Bheki Cele released a report on reforms that police should undergo, following the Marikana massacre.
- The report was completed by May 2018.
- The police ministry acknowledged the delay in releasing the report, but said work was done behind the scenes to implement the recommendations.
Although a report on necessary police reforms was not made public for almost three years, work was done behind the scenes to implement the recommendations in it, the police ministry said.
On Monday, Police Minister Bheki Cele finally released the report, which was completed in May 2018 after a panel of experts was established in April 2016.
Cabinet appointed the panel on the recommendation of the Marikana commission of inquiry.
The commission had been set up to probe the mass shooting that led to the death of 34 miners on 16 August 2012, which became known as the Marikana massacre, as well as the events that led up to the mass shootings in which 10 people were killed.
Cele's spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, said the ministry acknowledged the delays in releasing the report to the public but said it did not mean that the ministry and the South African Police Service had not taken any action.
Themba echoed Cele's sentiments that accountability was in motion and that the police had started implementing many of the recommendations. She said a lot of work had been done behind the scenes.
On Monday, News24 reported that the panel of experts made 136 recommendations on reforms that the police should undergo.
Cele said several of the recommendations had already been implemented and that others were still in progress.
He pointed out the following implementations:
- The process to criminally prosecute police members involved in the Marikana massacre has been ongoing;
- SAPS has already paid out more than R176 million (R176 905 733) to compensate the families of those who were killed; and
- Legislative reforms to deal specifically with systematic problems relating to governance, leadership and accountability within SAPS have commenced.
"The bulk of the recommendations are to be realised in the short-to-medium term as they are incorporated into the SAPS Act Amendment Bill. This bill has gone through a round of public comments and these inputs are being finalised before tabling the bill in Parliament," Cele said.
"The bill gives the assurance that no automatic rifles may be used in crowd control management. It will also address matters of vetting and integrity testing for those employed under the SAPS Act, including municipal police."
Those who join the SAPS will be subjected to processes aimed at ensuring that the integrity of the organisation is maintained, according to the minister.
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