Eastern Cape police face claims for damages of almost R8bn for 6,528 cases of alleged wrongdoing in the province.
In the past financial year, SAPS paid out R48.455m for 523 claims which were finalised.
The figures, with a whopping R7.992bn in claims, were revealed by community safety MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe in response to a parliamentary question from the DA.
Former East London businesswoman Lulama Mfiki said police were not adhering to the Batho Pele (people first) principle.
Mfiki was wrongfully arrested in November 2019 after a civil matter between herself and one of her clients.
She said the police did not listen to her side of the story, but instead arrested her at Settlers Square in Greenfields and she was detained overnight.
“It was a terrible experience having to sleep in inhumane conditions.
“The next day I was supposed to have gone to court but the lawyer called informing me that the case had been dismissed.
“No explanation was given as to why the police did not do due diligence in handling the matter.
“I feel like they arrest people for the sake of arresting. This is bad for the reputation of the entire police department,” Mfiki said.
She has since won litigation against police for unlawful arrest and the matter has been settled.
Tikana-Gxotiwe revealed that in the 2020-2021 financial year, 1,242 claims against the police were registered, of which 710 were for wrongful arrest and 168 were for assault.
There were also 66 claims for collisions, 56 claims against the police for shooting incidents, and 47 for illegal search and seizures.
DA community safety spokesperson Bobby Stevenson said in a statement on Monday: “These figures, revealed by MEC Tikana-Gxothiwe, show a police service that has become a law unto itself.
“Despite the ever-increasing claims brought against police, the government has failed to capacitate the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), which is tasked with investigating police misconduct, with only one office to service the entire Eastern Cape.
“We want to see a fully resourced and disciplined police service that inspires confidence and hope for a safer tomorrow.
“In the past financial year, SAPS paid out R48.455m for 523 claims that have been finalised.”
Tikana-Gxotiwe also disclosed, in a separate response, that only one of the five Ipid offices in the province, (in East London), was open and operational.
It should have a staff of 71, including 54 investigators, but has in fact just 24 staff members, of which 13 are investigators.
Stevenson said: “The severe lack of capacity is hamstringing the Ipid. Of the 1,599 cases that the Ipid were dealing with in the 2019-2020 financial year, 1,037 were carried over.
“Of the 562 cases that were dealt with, 202 were simply closed because complainants could not be traced, were uncooperative or suspects could not be identified.”
He said the breakdown of claims against police painted a picture of a violent police service that was clearly not upholding the law, nor respecting residents’ rights, with few or no consequences.
Despite the escalating numbers, Tikana-Gxothiwe disclosed that not one police officer had been suspended as a result of claims that had been resolved and which were awarded against police in the 2020-2021 financial year.
There was a clear lack of political will to deal with police officers who broke the law, he said.
“Nationally, the government has allocated only R348m to the Ipid for the financial year.
“In comparison, the same government spent R30.8bn on bailouts for the ‘SAA vanity project’ since 2017.
“Until such time that the political leadership takes responsibility and starts ensuring that there are consequences for those who act outside the prescripts of the law, the number of claims will continue to escalate along with community mistrust.
“These claims eat into much-needed funds that could be better spent on resources for SAPS, such as vehicles,” he said.
Portfolio committee chair Babalwa Lobishe said these were the same concerns they have had with the department.
“We talked about this and decided to escalate these issues to the police minister. Budget and staff recruitment are the competencies of the national office,” Lobishe said.
“We are looking at pursuing this in the new year.”
Eastern Cape transport, safety & liaison department spokesperson Unathi Binqose and Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo both promised to give comments but none was received by Monday’s print deadline.
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