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The IFP has called on the Minister of Police to urgently address the growing
number of corrupt police officials who are found breaking the law, and has
called on Government to urgently facilitate the establishment of a special
anti-corruption unit to investigate, monitor and root-out corruption within
the SAPS.

This comes after reports that Mamelodi East student constable Phuti Thopane
and detective Abel Mahagala narrowly escaped death on Monday night, when
they were ambushed as they raced to investigate an armed robbery. It is
believed that the gunmen had received information from corrupt police about
the approaching police officers. In addition, the gunmen were armed with
police-issue R5 rifles and at least one vehicle had blue lights and a siren.

And in Durban yesterday, a syndicate of Durban police officers were arrested
for allegedly using foreigners as cash cows, planting drugs on them and
threatening to arrest them unless they hand over thousands of rands.

"We are shocked to hear of these incidents. This is a clear indication that
the SAPS is riddled with corruption and we now fear that the deep-seated
corruption within the police force is threatening to render the SAPS
ineffective, and unable to combat crime effectively. This can only lead to
our unacceptably already high crime levels worsening in years to come," said
Velaphi Ndovu MP, the IFP's spokesperson on Police today.

Speaking about the corruption crisis with the SAPS, Ndlovu said: "The IFP
believes that the problems within the SAPS lie with management. Management
within the SAPS, from top to bottom, is weak and there is no clear strategy
in place to deal with corruption."

Ndlovu said that the Ministry of Police, opposition parties and all
stakeholders needed to engage each other on this issue, in order to come up
with a turn-around strategy for the SAPS and a way forward.

"We need urgent interventions which will stop the rot and this scourge of
corruption within the police. We believe the key to combating corruption and
fraud in the SAPS is effective supervision of SAPS employees at all levels.
The international norm and best practice is the establishment of a separate
investigative unit to investigate crimes within the SAPS. This is the only
way forward and we make an urgent appeal to Government to take this
suggestion on board," concluded Ndlovu.