Today, 22 October 2013, at the South African Police Service’s Academy in Paarl, the Department of Police officially announced the establishment of a South African Police Service (SAPS) University.
As the SAPS University is being established as a partnership, the National Police Commissioner, General Riah Phiyega and the Principal of UNISA, Professor Mandla Makhanya, signed a Memorandum of Understanding during the ceremony. The Minister of Police, Mr Nathi Mthethwa and the Minister of Higher Education, Dr Blade Nzimande, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation at the same time.
The signing of these memoranda marked the first phase of the creation of a police university. The second phase, which will commence early in 2014, will involve the welcoming of the first 120 police learners at the SAPS Academy in Paarl to start their studies towards a Bachelor of Policing Degree.
The curriculum for this degree is already in place at UNISA and there will be a fully cooperative partnership between the two organisations to ensure that the full-time course will be presented professionally and that, over time, the curriculum may be tailored to suit the developing needs of the SAPS.
The other police courses presently being presented at the Paarl academy will be phased out to ensure that an average intake of 400 police learners can be accommodated on the premises in future.
The SAPS University is being established with a view to fully transforming the South African Police Service into a professional entity, with employees of integrity who will ensure a safer South Africa for all our citizens.
By establishing our own university, where learners will wear their police uniforms during class and drill will be part of the curriculum, we will be combining academic studies with a culture of discipline, honesty and professionalism. By doing this, we will be able to build future leaders for the police and establish a pool of excellence from which commanders can be selected in future to lead the organization with integrity and loyalty.
Learners at the SAPS University will be chosen from among our own ranks after having met a strict set of criteria. Their progression through the course will be carefully managed to ensure that only those whose values and morals are of the highest standard - and whose academic achievements are also up to expected set standard - graduate.
It is also the objective of the Department of Police to ensure that our institution will become an internationally acclaimed police university. We want to attract police learners from the Southern African region, the African continent and other countries. We also want to see an exchange of students so that our learners will have the opportunity of studying policing in other countries.
Although we have partnered with UNISA, we have benchmarked with institutions and organizations across South Africa and other countries. The SAPS University will, to an extent, be modelled on the South African National Defence Force's (SANDF) Military Academy in Saldanha Bay which has been in existence for over 50 years.
Media enquiries:
Lieutenant General Solomon Makgale
Cell: 082 778 3718
