South Africa’s police force is falling dangerously behind criminals in the adoption of digital technology, with outdated state procurement policies enabling lawbreakers to outpace law enforcement, according to an assessment from the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The stark reality of this technological gap was highlighted recently by reports of abalone poachers using surveillance drones to evade arrest, while police stations remain largely under-equipped despite substantial Information and Communication Technology (ICT) budget allocations.
“We cannot allow procurement problems to handicap an increasingly demoralised SAPS,” said Derryn Brigg, Deputy President of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in a media statement this week.
The Chamber points to the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) as a major bottleneck, with most of the South African Police Service’s ICT budget currently channelled through the embattled state entity despite ongoing concerns about its management and performance.
Billions allocated, little to show
The figures paint a troubling picture of inefficient spending. SAPS allocated R2.845 billion for technological advancements in the 2024/25 financial year, with an additional R670 million set aside for construction and upgrading of police stations. Yet most police stations have “little to show for years of upgrades and ICT investment,” according to the Chamber.
The Chamber says that SITA’s problems are well-documented and longstanding. Late last year, Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi was called before parliament’s communications committee to address questions about an irregular R1.2 billion tender the agency facilitated for the Western Cape Education Department. A forensic report by law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr detailed extensive tender irregularities.
These concerns aren’t new. Three years ago, the government’s own Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC) flagged the high costs of SITA services in a report on SAPS expenditure, recommending a thorough assessment of the police service’s ICT environment.
Private sector partnership as solution
“Rather than address the concerns, the ICT environment appears to have become worse,” Brigg noted, arguing that where improvements have been seen, they’re often thanks to private sector involvement.
The Chamber believes this provides a roadmap for future success, advocating for meaningful partnerships between SAPS and private sector experts, complete with proper oversight mechanisms.
“Allowing SAPS to benefit from private sector expertise through meaningful partnership – and oversight – may just be the most practical way of making up for lost time in the fight against crime,” Brigg said.
ALSO READ: Police partner with private sector to combat tech savvy criminals
Call to end SITA monopoly
The Chamber’s assessment is uncompromising in its verdict on SITA’s role as the primary technology service provider for SAPS.
“In our view, SITA is a lost cause,” Brigg stated. “Government should end the SITA monopoly as the SAPS technology service provider.”
The call comes as law enforcement stakeholders express growing frustration that police stations and officers remain under-equipped despite SAPS enjoying a relatively large ICT budget compared to other government departments.
As criminals increasingly embrace sophisticated technology – from surveillance drones to encrypted communications – the Chamber warns that South Africa’s fight against crime is being undermined by bureaucratic inefficiency and poor procurement practices that leave police officers fighting 21st-century crime with outdated tools.
The question posed by the Chamber – “Are we getting our money’s worth?” – appears to have a clear answer in their assessment: a resounding no.
The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry represents business interests in the Western Cape and regularly comments on issues affecting economic development and public safety in the region.
