High Number of Missing Dockets and Unresolved Crimes Causes Alarm in South Africa

South Africa's Democratic Alliance (DA) has raised alarms over a disquieting volume of missing dockets and unresolved crimes reported at police stations across the nation. In a recent development, the DA voiced its apprehension following revelations about the ineffectual handling of criminal dockets, which has potentially allowed numerous perpetrators to escape justice.

Former Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, disclosed a worrisome statistic in a parliamentary reply earlier this May, stating that over 5.4 million case dockets had been concluded without resolution since the 2018/2019 financial year, attributing the unresolved status to the absence of adequate evidence or actionable leads.

In pursuit of transparency and accountability, the DA invoked the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to probe into the details concerning these dockets. The response provided by the current Police Minister Senzo Mchunu unveiled a troubling scenario, particularly during a month dedicated to celebrating women in the country. DA Member of Parliament Lisa Schickerling indicated that the details allude to significant deficiencies in docket management, and unveil stark realities about resource constraints and understaffing within the detective services branch of the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The unresolved cases span across several serious categories, including attempted murder, assault with grievous bodily harm, aggravated robbery, rape, sexual assault, kidnapping, and murder. Particularly disturbing is the revelation that an overwhelming majority of dockets stolen from police stations pertained to rape and sexual assault cases, most notably within the Limpopo province. This troubling discovery raises profound concerns about docket handling and safety protocols within SAPS.

Given these disturbing findings, the DA has called for an urgent, comprehensive inquiry into the missing and stolen dockets, insisting that the Minister and national police commissioner Fannie Masemola must rigorously address these lapses. The grim reality revealed by the numbers, as Schickerling pointed out, translates to an average of 32 victims of rape and sexual assault who are deprived of justice each day, with approximately 974 such cases being closed monthly without any conclusive result.

To confront this egregious issue, Schickerling has put forth a motion for the concerned officials, including the national commissioner and the Limpopo provincial commissioner, to appear before the Parliamentary portfolio committee. The DA demands a detailed exposition of the predicament and expects the presentation of a concrete plan to rectify the critical failures beleaguering SAPS.

The imperative for a full-scale investigation is echoed by the DA, civil society, and the general public, who share a collective angst over the safety and integrity of the criminal justice system. The spotlight is now firmly on SAPS to mend its practices, ensure the safeguarding of dockets, and restore confidence among citizens that every crime reported will be pursued with the utmost diligence and that justice will prevail.