Trust in SAPS Hits 27-Year Low as Calls Grow for Reform and Accountability

As public faith crumbles, experts say it’s time to fix the rot in South Africa’s policing system.

If you’ve stopped bothering to call the police, you’re not alone. A newly released survey has revealed what many South Africans have long felt: trust in the police has all but collapsed.

According to the Human Sciences Research Council’s (HSRC) South African Social Attitudes Survey, just 22% of citizens trusted the South African Police Service (SAPS) in 2022. The situation hasn’t improved since—with levels in 2023 and 2024/25 still languishing near rock bottom.

This is the lowest trust level recorded in 27 years, a staggering indictment of a service that once stood as a pillar of post-apartheid hope.

A Crisis Long in the Making

The decline in trust hasn’t come out of nowhere. It’s been a slow and painful erosion, marked by events like the Marikana massacre in 2012, the July 2021 riots, and most recently, allegations of corruption within top police leadership.

KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s bombshell revelations implicating Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and senior SAPS officials only poured fuel on an already smouldering fire. The public, it seems, has had enough.

“People no longer call SAPS to feel safe, they call to get a case number for insurance, and then turn to private security,” said Ian Cameron, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police.

Leadership Failures and Political Interference

Organised crime expert Chad Thomas didn’t mince words when explaining the rot at the top: “We’ve had 25 years of failed leadership. From Jackie Selebi to Bheki Cele, political appointments have hollowed out the SAPS.”

Thomas argues that even when career police officers have been promoted, the culture of corruption, infighting, and lack of accountability has remained deeply entrenched.

“The trust relationship is broken,” Thomas said. “Until we see actual consequences for wrongdoing, and until police leadership is chosen based on merit, transparency and security clearance, nothing will change.”

A Broken System, or the Wrong One Entirely?

David Bruce, a policing expert at the Institute for Security Studies, says SAPS doesn’t just need to be cleaned up, it needs to be reimagined. “We’re still using a colonial-style policing model in a deeply unequal society,” he said.

Bruce believes the system is fundamentally flawed, and that without serious structural reform, coupled with improved service delivery, less corruption, and more respect for citizens, public trust will remain out of reach.

He also pointed to high-profile abuses, like the VIP Protection Unit assault caught on video, as moments that further shake public confidence.

El Salvador’s Model… in South Africa?

In a more controversial suggestion, Thomas floated the idea of looking to El Salvador’s ‘Bukele Model’, where hardline crackdowns on gangs have dramatically lowered crime, but raised human rights concerns.

“Criminals have too many rights in South Africa,” he said. “We should declare a state of emergency against crime, convert army bases into prisons, and rebuild control from there.”

While such views may strike some as extreme, they underscore the depth of public frustration with crime and policing.

Time for Action, Not More Inquiries

As another judicial commission of inquiry is launched to probe misconduct in SAPS leadership, many South Africans are skeptical. Marches like the recent “Hands Off Mkhwanazi” protest in Durban reflect a growing call for real change—not just headlines and hearings.

“We don’t want commissions. We want results. We want people held accountable, and we want to feel safe,” one protester told local media.

What Needs to Happen?

Experts agree on some critical first steps:

• Depoliticise SAPS leadership appointments and involve civil society in the process

• Strengthen oversight bodies and give them teeth to act

• Implement a new policing model fit for a democratic, unequal, and highly violent society

• Rebuild public confidence through community policing, service delivery, and consequence management

Can SAPS Win Back South Africa’s Trust?

It’s a tall order. But the alternative is a nation where private security replaces public policing, where only the wealthy are safe, and where crime continues to spiral out of control.

The public has spoken. Whether the new Minister listens or kicks the can down the road, will determine whether trust in the police can ever be restored.

{Source: IOL}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com