Experts warn against giving unclaimed vehicles to SAPS

Experts have criticised a recommendation to give unclaimed impounded vehicles to the South African Police Service (Saps), saying the idea risks legal claims and would not address root problems in police fleet management.

What was recommended

The Democratic Alliance (DA) and the portfolio committee on community safety, security and liaison suggested that unclaimed impounded vehicles should be repurposed to ease severe fleet shortages within the Saps. The committee made the recommendation after recent visits to areas around the eMalahleni local municipality in Mpumalanga.

Conditions at Witbank police station

DA member Teboho Sekaledi said oversight visits found that Witbank police station has only 13 vehicles in good condition to service 131 665 citizens. Sekaledi said the station reported a severe shortage affecting its ability to attend to complaints and crime scenes and that the garage takes too long to repair minor mechanical issues.

According to Sekaledi, the visible policing division at Witbank has 23 vehicles, of which seven are in good condition and 16 are in poor condition with high mileage over 200 000km. He said detectives have 17 vehicles, of which six are in good condition and 11 are in poor condition with high mileage over 200 000km. Sekaledi added this “literally means the station has only 13 good-condition vehicles for 260 police officers serving a population of 131 665.”

Experts raise legal and management concerns

Criminology professor Witness Maluleke of the University of Limpopo warned that the state should first try to trace owners to avoid civil claims. He said:

“Taking ownership of such vehicles without doing the groundwork will create major problems for the state. They should seek donations from local and international sponsors instead of doing that.”

Maluleke said owners can sue the state for such actions and that impounded vehicles should be returned to legitimate owners if the vehicles are not linked to any crimes. He added that utilising those vehicles for state duties “should be strictly avoided.”

Maluleke also said one reason the Saps does not have enough cars is because drivers are reckless and police vehicles are rarely serviced, and he said the lack of vehicles affects police work and community trust. He said:

“The relationship between the Saps and communities is eroded by a lack of vehicles to swiftly respond and attend to the reported criminal cases. The delay in responding to a crime scene can destroy the trust the community members have on police.”

Political response

Themba Godi, leader of the African People’s Convention and former chair of parliament’s standing committee on public accounts, said the shortage of vehicles is due to misallocation of resources and warned that taking impounded vehicles would encourage lawlessness and the misallocation of resources. He called the recommendation “a reckless call.”

What remains clear

The recommendation to repurpose unclaimed impounded cars was made as a response to documented shortages at some police stations, but experts quoted in the oversight reporting urged caution, citing legal risks and management failures as obstacles to the plan.