General Patekile echoes the Western Cape Government's call for adequate SAPS resources
Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marais, has noted the observations made by outgoing Western Cape Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, regarding the severe policing capacity challenges facing the province.
During a recent interview, Lieutenant General Patekile mentioned that the Western Cape currently has approximately 19 000 SAPS members, compared to around 21 000 officers a decade ago, despite significant population growth, rapid urbanisation and the expansion of informal settlements across the province. He further estimated that the province requires between 30 000 and 32 000 police officers to effectively meet its policing needs.
These observations confirm concerns that have consistently been raised by the Western Cape Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety through its annual Policing Needs and Priorities (PNP) Reports over several consecutive years.
The department's PNP Reports have repeatedly highlighted severe staff shortages, resource constraints and capacity challenges across police stations in the province. These reports have consistently recommended that SAPS urgently strengthen policing resources in the Western Cape to address the growing demand for policing services and improve the ability of police to combat violent crime, organised crime and gangsterism.
Despite these recommendations being formally submitted through the prescribed channels year after year, progress in addressing these shortages has been far too slow. The consequences of this lack of investment in policing capacity are being felt daily by communities across the province that continue to endure unacceptably high levels of violent crime, gang-related violence and organised criminal activity.
During the debate on the SAPS Budget Vote in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) last week, Minister Marais again appealed to the Acting National Minister of Police and National SAPS Management to urgently address the policing resource crisis in the Western Cape and to expedite the process of expanding certain policing powers to local governments that have demonstrated the necessary capacity and willingness to assist in combating crime.
Minister Marais said, “The current situation is the result of years of underinvestment, under-resourcing and institutional neglect by national government."
The department is currently in the final stages of finalising the 2025/26 Policing Needs and Priorities Report. Once completed, the report will again be formally submitted to the Acting National Minister of Police and the Acting National Commissioner of SAPS.
The findings contained in successive PNP Reports, together with the remarks made by Lieutenant General Patekile, paint a clear and undeniable picture of the challenges facing policing in the province. The situation requires urgent intervention and decisive action from national government to address the severe personnel and resource shortages affecting SAPS in the Western Cape.
“If SAPS is serious about winning the fight against organised crime, gangsterism and violent crime in the Western Cape, it must immediately prioritise the resourcing and capacitation of police services in the province”, Minister Marais said.
“The people of the Western Cape deserve a police service that is adequately staffed, properly equipped and capable of protecting communities from the criminal elements that continue to threaten their safety and wellbeing”, Minister Marais concluded.
Media Enquiries:
Kurt Nefdt
Acting Media Liaison Officer to Minister Anroux Marais
Cell: 084 285 1975
Email: Kurt.Nefdt@westerncape.gov.za