Minister Marais supports City's call for expanded powers for Cape Town Metro Police

Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marais, has expressed support for the City of Cape Town's call for expanded investigative powers for Cape Town Metro Police, saying the province's worsening violent crime crisis requires every available law enforcement resource to be utilised.

Minister Marais said, “Cape Town continues to face enormous challenges from organised crime, gang violence and unacceptably high murder rates. While law enforcement agencies are removing significant numbers of illegal firearms from our streets, the low conviction rate remains deeply concerning. We owe it to our residents not only to arrest dangerous criminals, but to secure successful prosecutions that keep them behind bars." 

Minister Marais said communities have become invaluable partners in the fight against crime, regularly providing information that leads to the recovery of illegal firearms and the arrest of suspects. "Residents are doing their part. They deserve to see those responsible for terrorising their communities successfully prosecuted, Minister Marais added.

Minister Marais acknowledged the exceptional work performed by SAPS detectives under extremely difficult circumstances, noting that excessive caseloads place enormous pressure on investigators and can limit the time available for thorough investigations.

Minister Marais said, “Our detectives continue to perform admirably despite overwhelming workloads. This is not a criticism of SAPS, but a recognition that they need additional support. The Cape Town Metro Police has indicated that it has trained members with the capacity and willingness to assist with investigations. There is simply too much work to be done for law enforcement agencies to become territorial over mandates when communities are paying the price."

Minister Marais called on Acting Minister of Police Professor Firoz Cachalia to prioritise the City's request and urgently explore mechanisms to expand investigative powers to suitably trained and appropriately capacitated Metro Police units.

"This is not about replacing the SAPS. It is about strengthening our collective ability to investigate violent crime, secure more convictions and restore public confidence in the criminal justice system. Communities traumatised by ongoing murders deserve every possible intervention, while the dedicated police officers who work tirelessly under difficult conditions deserve the additional support that will help them achieve better outcomes. The time for urgent action is now. Every additional conviction means one less violent criminal on our streets and one more community with hope that justice can prevail,” Minister Marais concluded.

Media Enquiries:
Kurt Nefdt
Acting MLO to Minister Anroux Marais
Cell: 084 285 1975
Email: Kurt.Nefdt@westerncape.gov.za