The South African Police Service (SAPS) is struggling to manage its workload, with detectives handling an uneven distribution of cases. According to the Auditor-General, some detectives are managing between 600 to 800 dockets each. This heavy caseload could compromise the quality of investigations and dockets. The Auditor-General's presentation to Parliament on Friday, 2 October 2026, highlighted the need for rebalancing workloads and implementing proper succession planning.
The SAPS spent its full 2025 to 2026 budget of R15.5-billion on detective services but achieved only 63% of its performance targets. The Auditor-General's presentation showed that eight audited policing districts had a significant unresolved contact-crime caseload of 114,378 at the beginning of the year, with 43% carried forward from the prior year. Only 37% of the cases led to arrests and court proceedings, 21% were withdrawn, and 10% were closed as undetected.
The detective services also showed "succession-planning risks". The average detective age was about 43 years old, with 379 of the country's 3,294 detectives older than 55, and 1,227 having five years or less in the service. Newly appointed detectives with limited experience are managing substantial caseloads with limited mentorship and support. This situation poses a risk of losing institutional knowledge, specialised skills, and investigative expertise through retirement.
The Police Forensic Science Laboratories (FSL) were also a focus of the presentation, revealing a worrying picture. The full FSL budget of R1.7-billion was spent, yet it achieved only a third of its performance targets. The Auditor-General's presentation explained that the police's forensic science division played a critical role in supporting criminal investigations through forensic evidence analysis. However, the effectiveness and service delivery are being undermined by several operational and infrastructure challenges.
The FSL faced several challenges, including cluttered office space, reliance on quotation-based procurement, administrative inefficiencies, and potential delays in service delivery. Contracts for archiving forensic case files and supplying biology consumables had either expired or not been renewed. A significant number of PCs were outdated or not functioning in the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape, affecting productivity, data capturing, and compatibility with current technology requirements.
The Auditor-General's presentation also highlighted issues with DNA extraction instruments, which were not being used because the necessary tubes were unavailable. This limits DNA extraction capacity and may contribute to sample-processing delays and investigation backlogs. The SAPS awarded a five-year contract for semi-automated DNA processing consumables three years ago, but it had never been used, exposing police to possible breach-of-contract claims and financial loss.
The Auditor-General's presentation adds to the unprecedented scandal in which South Africa's law enforcers are embroiled. Several law enforcers have been suspended, arrested, and criminally charged. The fallout prompted what police leaders are now calling a "reset agenda". Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia explained that this requires a multi-year turnaround strategy that is consistently implemented. The state of the police's detective service and forensic science divisions reiterates that the reset agenda requires intense work.
Key points
- Detectives are handling an uneven distribution of cases, with some managing between 600 to 800 dockets each.
- The SAPS forensic science division is facing operational and infrastructure challenges, including outdated computers and expired contracts.
- The Auditor-General's presentation highlights the need for rebalancing workloads, implementing proper succession planning, and addressing procurement weaknesses.
