SAPU WARNS ACTING POLICE MINISTER ON LACK OF CONSULTATION

The South African Policing Union (SAPU) would like to send a stern warning to Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia over his lack of consultation of organized labour. We welcomed his acting appointment during August 1st, 2025 with an open mind hoping that as a professor he will be able to take SAPS forward. We have learnt with shock and disbelief that Professor Cachalia being an Acting Minister is promising to effect changes within the police service through an announcement made in a social media platform- specifically on TikTok. To say this “beggar’s belief” is an understatement, this is an insult to organized labour who are an important stakeholder in SAPS.

The fact that the Acting Police Minister has not taken organized labour into his confidence through an open door policy and direct engagement on pertinent issues is a major cause for concern. We would like to know what changes is he talking about whilst trending on TikTok? Does he have a constitutional mandate, knowledge, and powers to effect such changes? SAPU believes that as a stakeholder representing workers of SAPS, we have a role to play. During the announcement made by President Cyril Ramaphosa on the appointment of the Acting National Commissioner, he said the Acting Minister together with the Acting National Commissioner of SAPS will brief the nation on how they tend to work moving forward and way before that, the Acting Minister who is a Professor supposedly held at high regard, makes pronouncements about restructuring through TikTok. We warn the Acting Minister that he is acting and must be careful about restructuring ,unless if he knows what we don’t know on him becoming the actual Minister. Changes made by someone who is acting stands a risk of being changed again by the next person, which will bring instability in the organization. The reality that SAPS is faced with is that there is an Acting Minister of Police, Acting National Commissioner, Acting Deputy National Commissioner for Support Services and Acting Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection; these are issues that should concern the Acting Minister to call organized labour for our inputs on how we can move SAPS forward.

SAPU appreciates the open-door policy made by Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane and we are looking forward to having engagements with her, and we will continue to give her our support and advise her on policing matters. We appreciate the recognition of organized labour by the Acting National Commissioner as stakeholders and that will cement the cracks the organization has and the fulfilment of the constitutional mandate which is to serve and protect. The series acting appointments in the senior police management could lead to instability like we do not have a permanent head of the DPCI, no Provincial Commissioner for North West because of politics in the province, these are issues that the Acting Minister should be concerned to resolve.



SAPU calls upon Professor Cachalia to make a u turn and recognize that organized labour is an important stakeholder with an important role to play.