Experts say SAPS recruitment must prioritise policing quality and merit over race alone

The racial profile of the South African Police Service’s most recent recruitment intake has reignited debate about employment equity, representation and the priorities that should guide hiring in the police service. Two experts told IOL the focus should shift from race alone to the quality of recruits, public trust and merit-based appointments.

What triggered the debate

The controversy followed criticism over the apparent absence of Coloured, Indian and White recruits in the latest SAPS intake. SAPS defended its recruitment process, saying the demographic profile of successful applicants reflects the more than one million applications received and the country’s population demographics.

Experts urge a broader view

David Bruce, described in the report as an independent researcher on policing and consultant with the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), and Narendh Ganesh, a community activist and leader of the National Independent Congress of South Africa, said the issue is more complex than looking only at racial representation.

How SAPS compares with national demographics

Bruce said that, by his account, approximately 82% of South Africa’s population is African, while Africans made up 80% of SAPS members in March 2025. He said White and Indian representation in SAPS is broadly comparable with their share of the national population, although slightly lower, and that Coloured people account for 11.3% of SAPS personnel despite making up about 8.4% of the national population. “Looked at this way, the SAPS is doing a fairly decent job of being representative,” Bruce said.

Bruce cautioned that national figures do not necessarily reflect what communities experience because demographics vary by province, municipality and suburb. He also highlighted differences across SAPS ranks: fewer than 5% of employees occupy “professionally qualified and experienced” positions, yet almost one-fifth of those posts are held by White officers despite White personnel making up about 6.6% of the overall workforce. This, he said, means White officers are less represented in frontline positions such as constables.

Quality, motivation and recruitment criteria

Bruce argued the more important question is why people choose policing as a career. He said high unemployment and relatively favourable salaries mean many applicants see SAPS as a source of secure employment rather than a vocation driven by public service, which can produce officers with limited commitment who “do only the minimum required.”

He also questioned the requirement that recruits possess driver’s licences, saying “widespread allegations of corruption at learner’s and driver’s licence testing centres” undermine the integrity of using licences as a recruitment requirement. Bruce said SAPS appears to be placing greater emphasis on recruiting applicants with post-school qualifications to improve skills, but he warned that qualifications alone do not necessarily produce effective police officers and that policing requires resilience and the ability to handle dangerous and demanding situations.

Trust and underrepresentation among minority communities

Narendh Ganesh said the underrepresentation of White, Indian and Coloured applicants is likely the result of “several interconnected factors, including trust, career choices and economic conditions.” “I suppose it is a culmination of all of these factors, each one having merit in certain aspects,” he said.

Ganesh said trust has eroded among many officers from minority communities since the advent of democracy and claimed many White, Indian and Coloured officers have remained stuck at the same rank for years, believing opportunities for promotion have become increasingly limited. “The numbers reflect the undercurrent of dissatisfaction amongst the minority groups in the South African Police Service. So that trust element is true,” he said.

He added that perceptions that promotion is not always based on competence discourage potential applicants. Ganesh suggested that the police service’s public image and South Africa’s economic challenges influence career decisions and said many prospective applicants may prefer alternative careers because of concerns about SAPS’ reputation and long-term prospects.

Employment equity, transformation and the case for merit

Ganesh said the recruitment controversy is likely to reignite debate over employment equity, affirmative action and representivity. While acknowledging that South Africa’s demographics naturally result in greater Black representation in state institutions, he argued recruitment and promotion should place greater emphasis on merit.

“How long do we continue with employment equity? And what is the purpose of employment equity?”

He questioned how long measures introduced after 1994 should continue and warned they risk creating new forms of inequality by disadvantaging citizens based on race. “At what point does transformation end? Five years? Ten years? Fifty years?” he asked. He argued transformation should not be permanent if it excludes qualified South Africans, and said appointments should prioritise “competence, capability and aptitude regardless of race.”

“The moment we add race to the equation, we add inequality, as was in the past,”

What SAPS says it will do

According to the report, SAPS has indicated it intends to undertake targeted recruitment campaigns to encourage more White, Indian and Coloured South Africans to apply in future recruitment drives.

What remains under discussion

The experts’ comments in the report centre the debate on whether recruitment should be measured primarily by representivity against national demographics or by the quality, motivation and merit of recruits and on how best to rebuild trust among minority communities and within the police service itself.