Police Minister Cachalia Highlights SAPS Staffing Shortfalls Amid Forensic Lab Case Surge

Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has highlighted that despite a modest increase in personnel numbers in the South African Police Service (SAPS) over the past three years, staffing remains far from optimum levels, with a prolonged decline negatively impacting all units including the Forensic Science Laboratory where cases increased by over 118,000 from 2023 to 2025.

SAPS Staffing Levels and Recent Trends

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has faced ongoing challenges with staffing, as revealed by Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia in a written parliamentary reply. Despite a modest increase in personnel over the past three years, the force remains significantly understaffed compared to optimum levels required for effective law enforcement. Cachalia noted that this shortfall stems from a prolonged period of declining numbers, which has negatively affected all business units, including critical areas like visible policing, detective services, and specialised divisions.

According to Cachalia’s response, SAPS personnel numbers have seen a slight uptick, with approximately 5,000 new officers added between 2022 and 2025. However, this has not been sufficient to reverse the trend of attrition, where the service loses over 10,000 members annually due to retirements, resignations, and deaths in the line of duty. The current headcount stands at around 180,000 active officers for a population of over 62 million, resulting in a police-to-population ratio of about 1:344. This falls short of the international benchmark of 1:220 and the United Nations’ recommended 1:250, highlighting a critical gap in capacity.

Cachalia’s reply was in response to questions from opposition MPs, including those from the Democratic Alliance (DA), who have repeatedly raised alarms about understaffing contributing to rising crime rates and delayed justice. The minister acknowledged that budget constraints and high turnover rates have exacerbated the issue, with early retirements and burnout being major factors. In 2024/25 alone, SAPS recruited 7,000 new members but lost 12,500, creating a net deficit that strains operational effectiveness. This decline has been ongoing since the force peaked at 200,000 officers in 2010, dropping by 10% over the decade due to fiscal austerity and internal challenges.

The impact is felt across the board, with response times to emergencies averaging 30 minutes in urban areas and up to two hours in rural regions like Limpopo and the Eastern Cape. Cachalia has committed to addressing this under the Government of National Unity (GNU), with a R1.2 billion allocation for recruitment in the 2025/26 financial year. However, he warned that reaching optimum levels could take five to seven years without sustained funding increases. The minister’s speeches at events like the 27th INTERPOL African Regional Conference in Cape Town and a passing-out parade in Bhisho emphasise the need for reform, including better training and resources to combat transnational crime.

Surge in Forensic Science Laboratory Cases

One of the most affected units is the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), where staffing shortages have coincided with a dramatic increase in workload. Cachalia reported that cases registered for analysis rose by over 118,000 from 2023/24 (383,858 cases) to 2024/25 (502,407 cases), a 31% surge driven by higher volumes of violent crimes requiring DNA, ballistics, and toxicology testing. SAPS operates four FSLs: fully functional labs in Gauteng (Pretoria), Western Cape (Cape Town), and Eastern Cape (Port Elizabeth), while the KwaZulu-Natal facility in Durban is only partially utilised due to equipment shortages and understaffing.

The Pretoria lab processes 60% of national cases but faces chronic delays, with DNA analysis taking 12-18 months instead of the ideal 90 days. The backlog has surged to over 140,000 DNA cases as of March 2025, threatening the criminal justice system by delaying trials and allowing suspects to evade conviction on technicalities. In 2024/25, the FSL finalised 343,973 entries but received 502,407, creating a deficit that hampers detection rates, currently at 12% for murders and 14% for sexual offences.

Cachalia attributed the backlog to underfunding, with a R250 million cut from the forensic science budget in 2022 exacerbating the issue. The labs employ only 200 forensic analysts against a needed 500, leading to burnout and inefficiencies. The KZN lab’s partial operation stems from 2023 floods damaging equipment, costing R100 million in repairs, while rural labs like the Eastern Cape struggle with evidence transport from remote crime scenes.

Parliament’s Police Portfolio Committee has expressed shock over the backlog, ordering a forensic audit and calling for private laboratories to assist. DA MP Ian Cameron highlighted the 140,000 backlog in a March 2025 Facebook post, urging Auditor-General intervention. Stakeholders like AfriForum advocate for private labs to process the backlog, noting systemic failures and underfunding as root causes.
In June 2025, former Minister Senzo Mchunu refuted claims of a substantial backlog, but Cachalia’s reply acknowledges the surge, pledging measures like outsourcing 10,000 DNA samples to private labs at R50 million cost. The 2025/26 Annual Performance Plan aims to improve output to 100,000 reports, a modest target amid the crisis.

Government and Parliamentary Actions

Cachalia’s appointment as acting minister in August 2025 has brought focus to reform, with a 10-year plan to reach 250,000 officers and R5 billion for forensics. His speeches at INTERPOL conferences and parades emphasise international cooperation and training. The committee remains concerned about finalising rates for FSL exhibits, calling for realistic solutions beyond more labs.

An oversight report adopted in April 2025 detailed extortion rises and policing pressures, with Cachalia facing a “mission-critical” task. The National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council report in August 2025 noted dialogues in 2023 and 2024 to address corruption in SAPS.

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