Police body-camera rollout one year overdue, no units procured

SAPS missed April 2025 deadline for body-worn cameras despite repeated ministerial commitments dating to 2019.

South Africa's police service has failed to deploy body-worn cameras by an April 2025 deadline set by former police minister Senzo Mchunu, with no devices procured for national use and no explanation provided by acting minister Firoz Cachalia². The Democratic Alliance said the missed deadline deepens an accountability crisis in policing¹².

Mchunu announced last year that SAPS would begin deploying cameras in the 2025/26 financial year, with a target of 100 units annually at R28,818 each, totalling R2.8-million per year². He said the timeline followed comprehensive testing to ensure technology was fit for operations². Former minister Bheki Cele made a similar commitment in 2019, but no camera has been procured since².

DA member of parliament Mzamo Billy demanded an explanation from Cachalia². Billy said without objective real-time evidence, investigations are weakened, cases collapse and prosecutions fail, while honest officers remain exposed to false allegations¹².

Parliamentary replies to DA questions revealed nearly 1,000 suspects were killed during police operations over the past two years, with only 145 convictions resulting from SAPS investigations¹. Over 3,800 cases were referred to the National Prosecuting Authority, with many declined or pending¹.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded 296 suspect deaths with nine convictions secured¹. The Eastern Cape and Gauteng followed closely¹.

Thirty-one police officers were killed in the line of duty during the same period, many while performing routine duties including responding to complaints, conducting patrols and escorting suspects¹.