Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia. (Photo: Gallo Images / Fani Mahuntsi) 
Corruption within law enforcement agencies needs to be properly dealt with so that residents’ safety and security are improved.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia briefly addressed South Africa’s policing elephant in a room filled with officers from around the continent and further afield, on Wednesday, 27 August 2025.
“It is up to us to ensure we uproot corruption within the law enforcement agencies themselves and to ensure that we have leaders who serve with integrity,” he said.
We have just concluded the opening session of the 27th African Regional Conference in Cape Town. I was presented with a gift by Major General, Dr. Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, the President of INTERPOL,
and Mr Valdecy Urquiza, the Secretary General of INTERPOL. pic.twitter.com/O1iRUyugGp— Professor Firoz Cachalia (@Prof_Cachalia) August 27, 2025
Cachalia was delivering a speech at the international police organisation Interpol’s 27th African Regional Conference, hosted in Cape Town over three days.
South Africa is one of Interpol’s 196 member countries.
Among those in attendance at the launch of the conference on Wednesday were National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola and Interpol President Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi.
Billions lost annually
Like Cachalia, they spoke about the impacts of, and plans to tackle, transnational organised crime.
This includes drug and human trafficking, evolving cyber criminality, crooks targeting wildlife, money laundering, terrorism and firearm smuggling.
In his address, Cachalia said that transnational organised crime was “one of the most serious threats to peace, stability, and development across Africa and beyond”.
He said, “These crimes transcend borders, exploit technological advances and undermine the security of our people and the integrity of our respective states and economies.”
Cachalia referred to the Tax Transparency in Africa 2022 Africa Initiative Progress Report, which says that African countries lose an estimated $50-billion to $80-billion annually to illicit financial flows.
He said that this week’s three-day conference would be used to establish an Interpol African Committee.
This would lead to a “more structured” and “unified” manner in dealing with “common challenges”.
SA’s cop crisis
Cachalia shifted his focus to corruption, an issue at the core of an unprecedented and developing policing scandal in South Africa, which erupted last month when KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made several astounding accusations during a press conference.
Mkhwanazi alleged, among other matters, that Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, along with several other figures, had undermined investigations into political killings, and that Mchunu was in cahoots with a crime suspect.
Mchunu denied the allegations, but was placed on special leave. This is how Cachalia came to be the police minister in an acting capacity.
During his speech on Wednesday, Cachalia did not outright refer to this or the developing policing scandal, which is set to be the focus of a commission of inquiry.
Instead, he addressed corruption in law enforcement and cleaning up this arena.
“In order to be efficient and credible, every organisation needs to ensure that its members are professional, capable, qualified and honourable,” Cachalia said.
‘Deep problems’
At this part of his speech, Cachalia appeared to momentarily stop reading from notes.
“I’m impatient, colleagues, with bureaucratic rhetoric and platitudes,” he said.
“These are deep problems… in this country and in other countries, but [I’m] speaking for my own country and my own people.
“This is a challenge we have to face because we can’t meet the other challenges of improving safety and security underpinning development and economic growth of our people, whose futures are not negotiable without attention to such matters.”
Cachalia said that law enforcers needed to act with “professionalism” and “ethical commitment”.
“Uncompromising commitment to the safety and security of the population in a democracy, because that is what South Africa is. That has to be an unwavering commitment, one that is not merely repeated at conferences of this kind.”
Read more: SAPS commissioner accuses police minister of derailing probe into political killings
Cachalia concluded by saying the task of tackling transnational organised crime was daunting, but also inspiring.
“Our collective resolve, our shared expertise and our commitment to cooperation give us reason to be hopeful…
“Let us leave here not only with well-articulated strategies, but with actionable plans that we are committed to implementing.”
He emphasised: “Words matter, but so does action.”
‘Unacceptable’ gangsterism
During a question-and-answer session with journalists on Wednesday, several other local issues were addressed.
The Interpol conference is taking place in Cape Town, in South Africa’s gang violence centre, the Western Cape, which has experienced a surge in shootings linked to gangsterism and taxi conflict.
Daily Maverick reported that over the week to Tuesday, 26 August, there were at least 13 murders in and around the city. A two-month-old baby and a 12-year-old girl were among those killed.
Read more: Cape killings surge as baby and child shot dead amid staggering ‘270 murders’ in July
Cachalia, responding to a question about his stance on the gang situation in the Western Cape, said he would soon meet religious leaders who had contacted him about gang violence.
He was also seeking details, such as possible resource shortages in the Anti-Gang Unit.
Cachalia said that “it can’t be allowed to continue where you have unruly gangs shooting in the street”.
“I do not regard the status quo as acceptable.” Cachalia’s message to gangsters was, “They must stop”. DM