policelatest news & developments
It seems we are back to the era of Jackie Selebi, the disgraced former police commissioner with a penchant for designer clothes, who sold police intelligence information to drug trafficker Glenn Agliotti in exchange for cash and expensive gifts.

Editorial: We can’t afford another Jackie Selebi

The testimonies of KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and national police boss Fannie Masemola suggest the rot is deep in the police service

  • Eyaaz
2 min read
In a bid to secure another term, Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema is controlling the judiciary, tampering with legislation and limiting activities by the opposition ahead of next year’s elections. Photo: Supplied

Zambia’s 2026 election: How Hichilema is tilting the playing field against opponents

As President Hakainde Hichilema lays his groundwork for Zambia’s 2026 election, a disputed outcome appears almost inevitable

29 min read
President Cyril Ramaphosa. (File photo)

Ramaphosa puts Mchunu on leave of absence over police infiltration scandal

President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on leave following explosive allegations of criminal syndicates infiltrating law enforcement agencies

  • Kibo Ngowi
4 min read
President Cyril Ramaphosa. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Police saga may define Cyril’s legacy

Observers have suspected that deep systemic problems lie in the country’s law enforcement

  • Eyaaz
2 min read
(Photo: Jairus Mmutle/GCIS)

Editorial: A path forward at last

The reporting of sexual violence has been one of the ugliest blights of our democracy. Research throughout the years has revealed disturbing accounts of women regularly shunned at police stations

  • Eyaaz
2 min read
When courts dismiss violence on the basis of occupation, the message is clear: sex workers’ lives matter less.

Amid all the talk about preventing gender-based violence, sex workers are ignored

Blurb online What makes sex work dangerous are the laws, policies and attitudes that surround it

5 min read
Civil servants, including the police, are meant to serve the public. If they don’t, civilians must stand up for their rights. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Ever had a bad experience at a police station? Rest assured – there are consequences

Civil servants are meant to serve. If they don’t, civilians need to stand up for their rights

7 min read
Digging deep: Residents of the township of Khuma, near the Buffelsfontein mine in Stilfontein, North West, where zama zamas are trapped underground, say they are suffering economically after a police operation shut down illegal mining activity. Photos: Lunga Mzangwe

Local economy reels from police blockade of Stilfontein mine

Illegal miners want the state to legalise their operations as it is the only way for them to earn a living

  • Eyaaz
9 min read
Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, Deputy Police Minister Cassel Mathale and Deputy Finance Minister Ashor Sarupen at the signing of the Durban Declaration to combat the construction mafia. (Supplied)

Government, business pledge to combat construction mafia

The Durban Declaration outlines concrete interventions to be taken to over the next 12 months

  • Eyaaz
2 min read
Police have cut water and food supplies to the miners, insisting that they will not negotiate with ‘criminals

Police make community rescuers at Stilfontein sign indemnity forms before helping trapped miners

Police have cut water and food supplies to the miners, insisting that they will not negotiate with ‘criminals’

  • Eyaaz
7 min read
Fomer Justice Minister Thembi Simelane. (Photo by Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

Thembi Simelane: Police can’t behave like they are at a picnic when dealing with criminals

There have been frequent reports of police in KZN being involved in gun battles with armed suspects

  • Eyaaz
2 min read
Trainees at the police training college in Philippi during an oversight visit by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police on Friday. Photos: Sandiso Phaliso

State of police college shocks parliamentary committee

Allegations of corruption, criminality, and dilapidated facilities greet the Portfolio Committee on Police

  • Eyaaz
3 min read
Protesters march against gender-based violence, organised by several NGO?s and organisations at the JSE in Sandton on 13 September 2019 in Sandton after the murder of Uyinene Mrwetyana. (Photo by Alet Pretorius/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

In South Africa, women are always afraid of attacks

Some women spoke to the Mail & Guardian about frequently looking over their shoulder in fear of danger.

  • Umamah Bakharia
7 min read
Spotlight: The Malawi police have been accused of torturing a security guard, which has shone a light on the police oversight agency.

Who will police the police in Malawi?

A security guard’s claims that he was tortured by cops have shone a spotlight on the country’s dysfunctional police oversight agency

3 min read
Violent: Official figures indicated that the South African police kill more than twice the number of people per capita than the police in the United States. (Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

Blue lies: Police killings must always be carefully interrogated

South Africa is a terrifyingly violent country, but giving the police licence to kill can only make things worse

  • Eyaaz
8 min read
Suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu

New police minister promises ‘tough’ action to bring ‘intolerable’ crime levels under control

Crime intelligence and police station resources also need serious investment to ensure effective policing

  • Eyaaz
3 min read
Graphic: John McCann

South Africans are gatvol with corruption, but also guilty of graft

A significant portion of respondents in a Corruption Watch study have given gifts to and done favours for police officers, prosecutors and other officials This content is restricted to registered users and subscribers. Get Your Free Account The Mail & Guardian is committed to providing all our readers with the best possible experience. Please register your free account now. Your registration is your first step to becoming an M&G community member. Register Registration enables: – M&G newsletters access – notifications – the best possible experience Already registered? Login here Want to subscribe and get even more benefits? Explore our subscription offers

  • Eyaaz
1 min read
South African police officer on a roadside drivers license and insurance check. (Photo by Peter Titmus/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

75 000 arrested in SA during festive season safety operations

The SAPS and the Ministry of Police, led by Police Minister Bheki Cele, launched the nationwide Safer Festive Season Operations on October 13 in the Western Cape

  • Eyaaz
2 min read
Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe’s son, was arrested for attempted murder on Thursday after a shooting at his Hyde Park residence

Editorial | Crime: Must we protect ourselves?

People have now been forced to seriously consider whether the duty to protect one’s family can be left to the police

  • Eyaaz
2 min read