Latest news with #SouthAfricanSocialAttitudesSurvey
IOL News
7 hours ago
- IOL News
Families mourn loved ones lost to violence
Olysha and Owen Ganas Image: File AS SUNDAY approaches, the shadow of tragedy looms large for Vani Ganas. Her world was forever altered one year ago when her children, Olysha and Owen Ganas, tragically lost their lives in a car crash on the M19 near Reservoir Hills. The crash, allegedly caused by a reckless street racer, has left their family grappling with a sense of loss and injustice - as no one has been held accountable. Ganas said she and her family felt "let down" by the police. 'None of them have done anything. We do not get feedback anymore. We keep calling but the calls are not answered. They do not respond to emails from us or our attorneys. We were last told that the investigations were ongoing. The investigating officer has changed twice, and none of them have made any headway in the case," Ganas told the POST this week. Video Player is loading. 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Next Stay Close ✕ According to the recent findings by the Human Sciences Research Council's (HSRC) South African Social Attitudes Survey, trust in the police had reached an "all-time low". The findings showed that only 22% of South Africans expressed confidence in the police in 2022, with similarly low levels recorded in 2023 and 2024/25. For Ganas, these findings resonate deeply. She too, she said, had "lost faith in the police". Olysha, 27, a beautician, and her brother, Owen, 25, a plant manager for a construction company, were making a U-turn at a traffic light when the driver of a BMW one series crashed into their Audi A3. Their car exploded into flames. It has been alleged that the BMW driver was a street racer. Police arrested a suspect on August 2, 2024, but the National Prosecuting Authority said the matter was not placed on the court roll due to 'insufficient evidence'. 'The circumstances surrounding the accident were clear. It is shocking that nobody can do anything about it and nobody is held accountable. Forensic tests were done three times to identify my children's remains. We did it privately at our own cost, so the test results could be given to us quicker. Their funerals were conducted two weeks after the incident and they had closed caskets," she said. "Sunday will be one year since my children passed away. We have heard that the person responsible is still racing and doing reckless things. We still hope the driver will be held accountable for their deaths." Ganas said since the incident, she and her husband have been prescribed medication for depression and anxiety, and that Owen's five-year-old son was seeing a child psychologist. Brothers Seelan Pillay (deceased), Vasu Pillay, Brandon Pillay, and Terrance Subramoney (deceased). Image: Supplied Diminished faith Following the deaths of his two brothers in drive-by shootings and a third stabbed to death in Chatsworth, Brandon Pillay said no arrests or updates had also diminished his faith in the police. On October 8, 2022, private investigator Seelan Pillay, 49, a former police officer who was the Bayview Community Policing Forum (BCPF) chairperson at the time, was shot outside a fast food outlet on Lenny Naidu Drive in Bayview. He was handing money to a car guard when an SUV drove up to his vehicle and two suspects fired several shots at him and fled. He died at the scene. Terrance 'Spoons' Subramoney, 48, faced the same fate when gunmen opened fire on him while he was at the intersection of Havenside Drive and Lenny Naidu Drive in on December 3, 2023. About 16 gunshots were fired. The father of four died at the scene, which was less than a kilometer away from the spot where Seelan was killed. Years earlier, his brother, Trevor, was stabbed in the neck. The incident happened on February 22, 1999, when Trevor was only 21. Trevor Subramoney Image: Supplied Pillay, a former Member of Parliament and community activist, said: 'In a space of 13 months, I lost two of my older brothers. They were killed in broad daylight. To this day, nothing has been done and nobody has been arrested. We have lost faith in the police to a large extent.' He said Trevor was alive and bleeding profusely when he saw him, and he had told him who had stabbed him. 'The suspect was caught and spent three-and-a-half years awaiting trial. He went to trial but was acquitted of all charges because the witness's statements became inadmissible as they were highly intoxicated. The justice system let us down,' said Pillay. 'After Seelan's death, we struggled as a family. We struggled to sleep. I was a walking zombie. It destroyed us. I was angry, upset and disappointed and I still am. Seelan gave his entire life to law enforcement. He served the SAPS as a detective for many years, and went on to serve the BCPF. 'He protected the community and still his death became a statistic. We were not over his death or coping with it when the same thing happened to Terrance. 'Despite all the camera footage and evidence, the police have still not moved even an inch with the case. 'As a family we want nothing more than successful arrests. Although this will not bring back our loved ones, we will find solace knowing that the people responsible have been brought to book,' he said. THE POST
IOL News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Public trust in police reaches all-time low
Most South Africans who have lost faith in police are victims of crime or those who fear being attacked Image: Armand Hough Recent findings reveal that public trust in South African police has plummeted to an all-time low, with only 22% of citizens expressing confidence in law enforcement. Most South Africans who have lost faith in police are victims of crime or those who fear being attacked, according to findings by the Human Sciences Research Council's (HSRC) South African Social Attitudes Survey, which was released last week. The survey found that trust levels in the police have remained relatively low over the 1998 to 2024/2025 period, with only 22% of citizens expressing trust in the police in 2022. The 2023 and 2024/25 confidence levels were almost unchanged. Confidence graph Image: HSRC Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'In 2021, public trust in the police was 27%. This appears to be linked to the July 2021 social unrest. Many criticised the poor performance of the police during the unrest. 'This was followed by a further 5% decline to 22% in 2022, with the 2023 and 2024/2025 confidence levels almost unchanged, which may reflect increasing rates for certain crimes. The 2022/2023 and 2024/2025 figures are the lowest recorded in 27 years,' the findings revealed. Over the 1998 to 2010 period, the average level of trust in the police was relatively static, ranging between 39% and 42%. The findings indicated that the 2016 to 2020 period was characterised by 'modest fluctuation' between 31% and 35%. 'The hard Covid-19 lockdown experience, which included instances of police brutality in enforcing lockdown regulations, did not appear to have had an aggregate effect on confidence levels based on the 2020 survey results. 'In 2021 public trust in the police dipped to a low of 27%, and appeared to be linked to the July 2021 social unrest. Many criticised the poor performance of the police during the unrest. 'Those who displayed lower trust in the police include victims of crime or those who fear being attacked. Well-publicised instances of police abuse or failure can also seem to reduce public confidence. 'Those who had been recent victims of crime displayed significantly lower levels of trust in the police, and fear of crime has a similar effect. 'Higher levels of fear are associated with lower trust in the police. This applies to classic measures such as fear of walking alone in one's area after dark, as well as crime-specific fears, such as worrying about house robberies or violent assault. These associations have been found across multiple rounds of surveying,' the findings noted. Some of the suggestions made by the HSRC on how to regain police trust included promoting competent and ethical police leadership and strengthening the overall system of police governance. Suggestions also included that police should put more measures in place to monitor and control the use of force, and promote a culture of police accountability. "While provincial levels and trajectories have varied, the trend points to a deepening legitimacy crisis for the SAPS across the country, with historically higher-trust provinces converging downward toward the levels of deep scepticism observed in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. "Well-publicised instances of police abuse or failure can also seem to reduce public confidence. It is evident that in a high-crime and socially-divided society, confidence in the police is made up of a mix of views on the fairness and effectiveness of the police, combined with experiences of crime, including worrying about crime, experiences of policing, and even more general views on the functioning of democracy and government. "The risk is that low and diminishing confidence in the police, if left unchecked, will also continue to negatively shape views of key elements of police legitimacy, such as a sense of shared moral values and the duty to obey the police," the HSRC said. Perceptions of police corruption also had a 'strong, negative effect' on police confidence. The survey showed that from past research, the South African public strongly emphasised both police fairness and effectiveness as important elements of their overall assessments of police confidence. 'The more the police are seen to be treating South Africans unfairly, the more they are likely to view the police as untrustworthy. Similarly, perceptions that the police treat people disrespectfully, are not impartial in their decision-making, or lack transparency in the actions (procedural unfairness) also undermine public confidence. 'Lastly, if the police are seen as ineffective, unsuccessful in preventing, reducing and responding to crime, this will also diminish confidence,' the report stated. THE POST
The Citizen
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
Public trust in SAPS falls to lowest levels in 27 years, survey shows
Public trust in SAPS falls to lowest levels in 27 years, survey shows The allegations levelled against senior national police executives by KZN provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi have caused the SAPS' public trust to dip. Zululand Observer reports that research released last Friday by the Human Sciences Research Council's South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS) shows trust levels have remained relatively low – and not once in 27 years have more than half the adult public trusted the police. This suggests the issue of police legitimacy is by no means new. From 1998 to 2010, the average level of trust in the police was relatively static, ranging between 39% and 42%. This was followed by a sharp decline between 2011 and 2013, after the Marikana massacre in August 2012. Confidence had almost returned to the 2011 level by the 2015 survey. The 2016–2020 period was characterised by modest fluctuations between 31% and 35%. The hard lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, which included instances of police brutality in enforcing lockdown regulations, appears to have further dented confidence, based on the 2020 survey results. In 2021, public trust in the police dipped to an all-time low of 27%, reportedly linked to the July 2021 social unrest in KZN when many criticised SAPS' poor performance. This was followed by a further 5% drop to 22% in 2022, with 2023 and 2024–25 confidence levels almost unchanged, possibly reflecting rising rates for certain crimes. The 2022, 2023 and 2024–25 figures are the lowest recorded in 27 years. The full report and figures can be accessed here. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
TimesLIVE
15-07-2025
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
People's trust in police at ‘all-time low': HSRC
Public trust in the police has reached an all-time low, a recent study by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) has revealed. According to the HSRC's South African Social Attitudes Survey, trust in the police has declined significantly over the past two decades, with only 22% of citizens expressing trust in the police in 2022. The 2023 and 2024/25 confidence levels were almost unchanged. The HSRC spoke to between 2,500 and 3,500 people across the country. The HSRC said recent allegations of police rot by KZN police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi represented another 'decisive moment for policing in SA, the outcome of which will have a significant bearing on the project to rebuild public trust'. Mkhwanazi claimed a police investigation unmasked a syndicate controlled by a drug cartel, which allegedly involves politicians, law enforcement officials from the police, metro police and correctional services, prosecutors and the judiciary, as well as business people. He also alleged that police minister Senzo Mchunu interfered with sensitive police investigations — which has led to President Cyril Ramaphosa placing the minister on leave of absence.
IOL News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Why South Africans are losing faith in the police: Insights from the HSRC study
The latest HSRC study shows that public trust in police continues to decline. Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers The SAPS will have to work hard to rebuild public confidence, as the latest study shows that trust in the police continues to decline. The research conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council's (HSRC), through the South African Social Attitudes Survey (SASAS), revealed that only 22% of citizens expressed trust in the police. This shows that trust in the police has declined significantly over the past two decades. The survey found that trust levels in the police have remained relatively low over the 1998 to 2024/25 period. Notably, during these 27 years, a majority of the adult public never expressed trust in the police, which suggests that police legitimacy has been a longstanding issue. Over the 1998 to 2010 period, the average level of trust in the police was relatively static. It ranged between 39% and 42% in all but a few years. This was followed by a sharp decline between 2011 and 2013, following the Marikana massacre of August 2012. However, confidence had almost returned to the 2011 level by the time of the 2015 survey round. The 2016 to 2020 period was characterised by modest fluctuation between 31% and 35%. The hard Covid-19 lockdown experience, which included instances of police brutality in enforcing lockdown regulations, did not appear to have had an aggregate effect on confidence levels based on the 2020 survey results. In 2021, public trust in the police dipped to a low of 27%. This appears to be linked to the July 2021 social unrest. Many criticised the poor performance of the police during the unrest. This was followed by a further 5 percentage point decline to 22% in 2022, with the 2023 and 2024/25 confidence levels almost unchanged, which may reflect increasing rates for certain crimes. Timothy Makoe, a resident of Palm Springs in Evaton, endorsed the study, saying police are no longer taking their job seriously. Makoe said he reported a case of fraud after his details, including a banking card, were used to open an account at the Edgars store last year, but it has never been attended to. Another resident, Teboho Maleke, said the recent allegations made by the KwaZulu-Natal commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, worsened the situation. 'This shows why these people have been failing to deal with crime in our communities. There are a lot of drug dealers around here who are well-known, but they have never been arrested. This also proved that the rot starts from the top, which explains why they are failing to discipline their employees,' he said. The HSRC also stated that Mkhwanazi's allegations represent another decisive moment for policing in South Africa, the outcome of which will have a significant bearing on the project to rebuild public trust. Mkhwanazi implicated senior SAPS officials in corruption during his recent media briefing, claiming that police have failed to act on evidence tying firearms to high-profile killings, including those of prominent South African artists. He accused Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of sabotaging critical crime-fighting efforts by ordering the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team — a unit established in 2018 under President Cyril Ramaphosa's inter-ministerial committee (IMC) to tackle politically motivated murders. Mkhwanazi alleged that Mchunu, in collaboration with Deputy Commissioner General Shadrack Sibiya, withdrew 121 case dockets from the team in March 2025, leaving them untouched at the SAPS headquarters in Pretoria, despite five being ready for arrests. He also claimed that Mchunu was in constant communication with criminal syndicates, naming a businessman, Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala, and an associate, Mr Brown Mogotsi (also referred to as Mahodi or Maki in various statements), as key players funding Mchunu's political activities. The survey also found that well-publicised instances of police abuse or failure can also seem to reduce public confidence, while perceptions of police corruption also had a strong, negative effect on police confidence. Meanwhile, South Africa has a high crime rate and is considered a dangerous country, particularly for violent crimes. According to the SAPS, 5,727 people were murdered during the first quarter of 2025, which is between January and March, 10,688 people were raped, while 11,111 common robberies, and 35,374 commercial crimes were reported. Independent crime and policing consultant, Dr Johna Burger, said the declining levels of trust and confidence in the SAPS over the last two decades were predictable, adding that the National Development Plan of 2012, Parliament's Detective Dialogue Report of September 2012, and the 2018 report by the Panel of Experts on how to strengthen and improve the SAPS, are some of the reasons for this decline as none of the recommendations were implemented. 'The SAPS have, over the years, and in many instances, abused their own appointment and promotion policies, enabling them to appoint persons into senior positions for which they were not suitably qualified. The recent highly publicised appointment of a female brigadier from outside the police in Crime Intelligence is a good example. 'Also, the SAPS' internal disciplinary processes have all but collapsed, leading to a loss of accountability and demonstrating poor command and control. E.g., between 2012 and 2024, disciplinary hearings decreased by 70%. This decline led to a 483% increase in civil claims for various types of poor and unlawful conduct by its members, paid out by the SAPS,' Burger said. Gareth Newham, head of the Justice and Violence Prevention Programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), said this is because there is corruption within the police and many officials who are not interested in their job. ISS manager of the crime and justice information and analysis hub, Lizette Lancaster, said trust in law enforcement is critical for policing to succeed because they can greatly influence how a civilian interacts with a SAPS member, potentially impacting the outcome of a situation, including whether they cooperate, whether a situation escalates, or whether a person feels comfortable reporting a crime or coming forward as a witness. She said ISS made several recommendations to strengthen policing in South Africa in 2024. These include suggestions on how to restore pride in the profession and uniform. Lancaster said for this to succeed, measurable improvements are needed in recruitment, training, performance management and accountability mechanisms. The principal investigator of the study, HSRC's Dr Benjamin Roberts, said this analysis provides context on the extent and nature of the challenge, highlighting variations and drivers of public perceptions on policing. He said the findings are expected to inform interventions aimed at restoring public faith in the police. 'The findings of this study underscore the urgent need for SAPS to prioritise building public trust and confidence. By adopting a more community-focused and accountable approach to policing, we can work towards creating safer and more secure communities for all South Africans,' he said. [email protected]
