Imran Subrathie, member of the National Assembly for the ANC,
Image: Supplied
Political leaders are calling for urgent reforms in the SAPS amid a growing institutional crisis marked by corruption and declining public trust.
Imran Subrathie, member of the National Assembly for the ANC, said the Madlanga Commission pointed to a serious institutional crisis in the SAPS.
“The alleged involvement of senior officers in corruption demonstrates that the rot has penetrated parts of the leadership structures responsible for upholding the law.
“One of the biggest challenges in addressing the rot is the erosion of trust in the institution itself. Resource constraints, skills shortages in specialised investigative units, and the sophistication of organised crime networks make the fight against corruption even more difficult.”
He said the impact on communities was severe.
“When communities lose trust in the police, co-operation with law enforcement declines, criminality increases, and ordinary citizens feel abandoned and unsafe. Corruption also undermines the rule of law, fuels vigilantism, and disproportionately affects vulnerable communities who rely heavily on public policing services for protection.
“We need decisive and fearless action. There must be stronger independent oversight, swift prosecution of corrupt officers regardless of rank, protection for whistle-blowers, lifestyle audits for senior officials, and investment in professionalising the SAPS through ethical leadership, training, and modern investigative capacity.
“If not, the long-term consequences for South Africa could be devastating. In 10 years, we risk facing a further collapse in public trust, increased criminal infiltration of state institutions, higher levels of violent crime, and weakened democratic governance. It was necessary for us to understand the extent of the rot. Now that we do, we must decisively deal to change the trajectory,” Subrathie said.
The DA’s spokesperson on police and MP, Lisa Schickerling, said: “What we are seeing is not simply a few 'bad apples', but the consequences of years of mismanagement, political interference, and the steady erosion of professionalism in the SAPS.
“When senior officers are accused of corruption and criminal conduct, it confirms what many South Africans already fear – the institutions meant to protect citizens are themselves being compromised from within.
“One of the biggest drivers of the rot in the SAPS is the collapse of accountability and consequence management. Skilled detectives and experienced officers are leaving the service, while promotions are too often based on political loyalty rather than competence and integrity. At the same time, organised crime syndicates have become increasingly sophisticated, infiltrating parts of the criminal justice system while internal anti-corruption mechanisms remain weak and ineffective. Suspended senior officers continue receiving salaries for years, while disciplinary processes drag on endlessly, sending a message that corruption carries little real consequence.”
She said ordinary South Africans paid the price for corruption.
“Communities are losing faith in the police. When trust collapses, crimes go unreported, witnesses refuse to co-operate, and vigilantism begins to take root. Gang violence, extortion, illegal firearms, and organised crime thrive where the state appears weak or compromised. For victims of violent crime, particularly women and children facing gender-based violence and femicide, these systemic failures can have fatal consequences.
“If this rot is not stopped, South Africa risks becoming a country where organised crime increasingly operates with impunity, communities retreat behind private security, and citizens lose faith in the state altogether.
“The warning signs are already visible. What is needed now is political courage, professional policing, and real accountability before the damage becomes irreversible,” Schickerling added.
Mkhanka Zuma, regional spokesperson for the MK Party, said corruption, poor accountability systems, political interference, weak internal oversight mechanisms, poor working conditions, and socio-economic pressures were among the contributing factors leading to the deterioration in the SAPS.
“The inability to decisively address these issues over time has created an environment where misconduct can flourish, while honest and dedicated officers become demoralised. Challenges such as delayed disciplinary processes, inadequate oversight structures, capacity constraints, and insufficient support systems continue to prevent meaningful interventions.
“Communities are paying the price for this crisis. The erosion of trust in law enforcement institutions creates fear, discourages co-operation with police, weakens crime prevention efforts, and leaves working-class communities vulnerable to criminality and instability.”
He said decisive reforms were necessary, and if action was not taken, South Africa risked facing a future where criminality became more entrenched, public confidence in institutions deteriorated further, and communities became increasingly unsafe.
Shameen Thakur-Rajbansi, leader of the Minority Front, said the commission had laid bare what many South Africans had feared.
“The SAPS is suffering from a systemic ethical collapse driven by political interference, cadre deployment, weak internal accountability, corruption networks, and the protection of rogue officers by those higher up the chain of command. When criminal syndicates infiltrate policing structures and state institutions, law enforcement becomes compromised from the top down.
“Most evident is collusion of local police officers at metro level who act as runners between the council political and bureaucratic structures. Poor consequence management has allowed unethical conduct to become normalised,” she added.
She said the greatest obstacle was that corruption appeared deeply entrenched across multiple arms of governance, policing, prosecution, and political structures.
“The commission is exposing wrongdoing, but without swift prosecutions and visible punishment, public trust is eroding. Political protectionism and factional battles are delaying reform.
“We are witnessing not merely crime, but criminality shielded by institutional weakness. Communities are paying the highest price. Crime is flourishing, gang activity is increasing, women and children are becoming vulnerable, businesses are suffering, and residents are feeling abandoned by the very institutions meant to protect them.
“We need decisive reform, not endless revelations. Therefore rogue officers must be removed swiftly, senior officials implicated in corruption must face open court, and an uncompromising ethics code must be enforced throughout the SAPS, metro police and the broader justice system.
“Independent anti-corruption structures must be strengthened and insulated from politics. Recruitment, promotion and leadership must prioritise integrity over connections.
“If this criminality continues unchecked, we risk becoming a banana republic where lawlessness replaces lawful order, where organised crime outpaces governance, and where public institutions lose all legitimacy,” Thakur-Rajbansi said.