By Johnathan Paoli
The DA has intensified its campaign for transparency within the South African Police Service (SAPS), submitting a formal application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to compel SAPS and acting Police Minister, Professor Firoz Cachalia, to release the long-delayed first quarter crime statistics.
According to DA spokesperson on police, Lisa Schickerling, the application follows weeks of unanswered correspondence and public appeals to the Ministry.
“Concealing crime data erodes public trust, weakens parliamentary oversight, and leaves communities in the dark at a time when violent crime continues to spiral out of control,” she said.
The DA said it had previously sent two written requests and issued two media statements urging the Acting Minister to release the data.
Yet, with only days left before the release of the second quarter statistics, the first quarter figures remain under wraps.
She emphasised that crime statistics were a public resource and not the private property of the Minister or the SAPS.
“They belong to the people of South Africa. These figures are a critical tool for measuring performance, identifying crime trends, and ensuring that police resources are allocated where they are needed most,” she said.
The delay, she argued, raises serious concerns about possible interference, dysfunction, or manipulation within SAPS management structures, adding that it reflects an ongoing leadership crisis in the Police Ministry.
The DA’s PAIA application seeks to compel the release of the first quarter data and demands a full explanation from the Acting Minister on the reasons for the delay and those responsible.
It also calls for a binding commitment that all future crime statistics be released on time and without political interference.
The failure to release the first quarter statistics has sparked growing frustration across political and civil society circles.
Earlier this month, ActionSA also called for the immediate release of the data, accusing the Ministry of undermining public trust.
The release of crime statistics is traditionally scheduled on a quarterly basis, serving as an important performance indicator for SAPS and a measure of government progress in curbing violent crime.
By withholding the figures, critics argue, the government is effectively blinding the public to the reality of crime levels across the country. The absence of data also prevents independent assessment of whether police interventions, such as hotspot operations or community patrol partnerships, are working.
The delay also underscores growing instability within the Ministry of Police following the suspension of Minister Senzo Mchunu earlier this year and the appointment of Cachalia as Acting Minister. The Ministry has faced persistent criticism over a lack of communication and failure to address accountability concerns within SAPS leadership.
Schickerling said the DA would continue to hold Cachalia and the SAPS management accountable. “It is unacceptable that, under successive ministers, South Africans must fight to access the very information that should be provided to them by default,” she said.
The party said it views the failure to publish the first quarter statistics not as a mere administrative delay but as a symptom of deeper dysfunction within the policing system. “There appears to be a growing culture of secrecy that runs counter to the principles of transparency and open governance,” Schickerling noted.
The DA’s PAIA application could set the stage for a legal showdown between the opposition party and the Police Ministry. The Promotion of Access to Information Act entitles citizens to access state-held data unless there is a legitimate reason for withholding it, such as national security.
However, Schickerling said there was “absolutely no legal or operational justification” for concealing crime statistics. “This is about accountability, not confidentiality. The people of South Africa deserve to know whether crime is rising or falling — not when it suits the government, but when the facts demand it.”
If the Ministry fails to comply, the DA said it will escalate the matter through Parliament and the courts. “We will not rest until transparency and accountability are restored within the South African Police Service,” Schickerling vowed.
The standoff over the crime statistics comes amid a broader crisis in public safety.
Violent crime remains stubbornly high, with communities across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape reporting spikes in murders, kidnappings, and extortion-related offences.
Inside Politics reached out to the SAPS, who maintained no comment, at the time of publishing.
INSIDE POLITICS