Budget Vote 24: Independent Police Investigative Directorate Presentation to the National Council of Provinces by the Department of SAPS, Delivered by Deputy Minister of Police, Dr Polly Boshielo
Honourable House Chairperson
Acting Minister of Police, Honourable Gwede Mantashe
Deputy Minister of Police, Honourable Cassel Mathale
Honourable Ministers and Deputy Ministers in attendance
Honourable MECs present
Members of the NCOP
Members of the Select Committee on Security and Justice
National Commissioner of SAPS General Masemola
National Heads of Entities and Management
Distinguished Guests; and
Ladies and Gentlemen
Thobela
It is an honour to rise before this House today to table the Budget Vote for an institution essential to maintaining the credibility, accountability, and integrity of policing in a democratic South Africa, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID). IPID is a necessary partner in building a professional, transparent, and human-rights-centred policing culture and ensuring that no person in uniform is ever above the law.
IPID’s role is to ensure that members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Municipal Police Services (MPS) adhere to legal standards, and in instances where they are not, IPID must exercise its legislative mandate to correct the situation.
Chairperson, IPID derives its mandate from the IPID Act (Act No. 1 of 2011), which empowers it to:
- Investigate deaths as a result of police action
- Investigate alleged police brutality and torture
- Address corruption within SAPS and Municipal Police Services; and
- Ensure criminal accountability where officers are found guilty of wrongdoing
Honourable House Chairperson
IPID has been allocated a budget increase as compared to the previous financial year. The Core Programme – Investigation and Provincial Coordination – is allocated R844 million (68%) over the three (03) year term. The allocation includes R622 million over MTEF period spread in all the provinces.
The allocation criteria is based on the case intake, size of the province, number of investigators, distance travel within the province, case complexity and number of the case backlog.
This allocation will focus on the four (4) high crime provinces – Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape Provinces.
To this effect, a total number of sixty-three (63) investigators were trained in the 2024/25 financial year on Basic firearm, Minimum Information Security Standard, Cyber Forensic, First Aid and Corruption investigation.
House Chairperson
For the financial year 2025/26, IPID has identified six key priorities to fulfil its mandate:
1. Reduction of Backlog Cases
IPID has enlisted the expertise of twenty-five (25) retired and seasoned investigators to contribute to reduction of backlogs. Key appointments have been made in the provinces of Gauteng, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga effective from 01st July 2025.
This initiative will focus on the investigation of backlog cases in terms of Section 28(1)(a)-(h) of the IPID Act, which includes:
- Death in police custody
- Death as a result of police action
- Discharge of an official firearm
- Rape by a police officer
- Assault
- Torture
- Corruption
- Any other matter
IPID is also tasked with addressing the challenge posed by the insufficient presence in the provinces. In accordance with the District Development Model (DDM), IPID has successfully secured office space in various districts, as well as from other government departments, to effectively manage the backlog of cases.
2. Prioritisation of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBV&F) Cases
In accordance with the President's declaration that GBV&F constitutes a national crisis, it will continue to be prioritised. A zero-tolerance approach will be adopted, and all perpetrators will be brought to book without any hesitation. In the 2024/2025 financial year:
- 92 cases of rape were finalised
- 21 departmental convictions
- 11 criminal convictions were secured
Furthermore, our investigators will be upskilled on the investigation of sexual offences to increase the convictions.
3. Establishment of Forensic Investigation Unit
An in-house forensic investigation capability is crucial for improving the quality of investigations. This includes: the recruitment of Financial Data Analysts, Cyber Forensic Experts, Crime Analysts and the procurement of a Forensic Electronic system to foster a comprehensive approach to enhance investigative quality and efficiency.
4. Establishment of a Call Centre
IPID will be establishing a Call Centre, which will provide a centralised platform for handling inquiries and complaints and enable a quicker response and consistent communication. The call centre will provide 24/7 /365 days access to IPID, to ensure that our communities and stakeholders can reach the department at any time.
5. Development of a New Case Management System
The existing case management system has been upgraded to facilitate the categorisation of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBV&F) cases. In this financial year, a new Case Management System will be developed to enhance and improve monitoring capabilities to ensure data security. The new system will also improve the integrated performance reporting within the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) cluster, ultimately contributing to improved operational efficiency.
6. Training and Capacity Development of IPID Employees
In an effort to improve our performance, IPID has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with various training institutions to enhance the competencies of our investigators. The institutions that will assist with this planned interventions for the year 2025/26 include:
- Crime Scene Management and Fraud with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE)
- Cyber Forensic First Respondent, Procurement and Corruption with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU)
- SASSETA provided funding for the training of investigators on the Internal Investigation course
- Executive Development Programme (EDP) and Risk Management for senior managers within the core programme through the National School of Government (NSG)
The signing of these MOUs is at the core of the integral component of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate's strategy to consistently prioritise the growth and development of personnel in order to effectively implement its legislative mandate.
IPID continues to conduct impartial investigations of identified criminal offences and misconducts by members of the South African Police Service and Municipal Police Services and further make appropriate recommendations and referrals in line with the IPID Act.
Honourable House Chairperson
In conclusion, the Ministry of Police is fully committed to fighting crime within our organisation and municipalities, in collaboration with all Law Enforcement Agencies and will work tirelessly to rebuild public trust and much-needed stability within our organisation. We will continue to stamp the authority of the state without fear or favour.
Re a leboga
#ServiceDeliveryZA
