The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) registered 5 259 cases of police misconduct during the 2025/26 financial year, including 332 cases linked to gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).
Acting police minister Firoz Cachalia said effective policing depends on the public trusting the police and believing that they operate legitimately.
Cachalia made the remarks while tabling IPID’s 2025/26 Annual Report in the National Assembly in Cape Town on Wednesday 30 September.
Assault and torture remained the biggest drivers of complaints, accounting for 3 468 cases. This was followed by 669 cases involving the discharge of an official firearm and 464 deaths as a result of police action.
Provincial hotspots
Lizzy Suping, IPID spokesperson, said the Western Cape recorded the highest number of cases, with 905, followed by Gauteng with 898, KwaZulu-Natal with 722 and the Eastern Cape with 717.
Of the 5 259 cases recorded, 332 were linked to GBVF. These included 122 referrals, mainly relating to domestic violence, 116 cases of rape allegedly committed by police officers, 58 cases of assault and torture, 24 murders and 10 cases involving the discharge of an official firearm.
According to Suping, KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of GBVF cases at 60, followed by Gauteng with 58, the Free State with 52 and the Eastern and Northern Cape, with 27 cases each.
Kimberley in the Northern Cape and Marianhill in KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of GBVF cases among individual police stations, with seven each. Madadeni in KwaZulu-Natal recorded six, while Phoenix in KwaZulu-Natal, Humewood in the Eastern Cape and Welkom in the Free State each recorded five.
IPID also recorded an increase in cases of rape allegedly committed by police officers, rising from 95 in 2024/25 to 116 in 2025/26.
Of the 116 cases, 44 involved off-duty police officers, while 72 involved officers who were on duty.
Convictions secured
Suping said IPID secured 84 criminal convictions during the year under review, almost double the 43 convictions recorded in the previous year.
A total of 26 of the convictions were related to GBVF cases, while sentences ranged from several months in prison to life imprisonment.
She said IPID investigators also made 281 arrests for various offences during the year.
By 31 March this year, 994 cases had been enrolled in various courts following IPID recommendations to the National Prosecuting Authority to institute criminal proceedings against police officers.
A total of 277 disciplinary recommendations had also been concluded by the police, with sanctions ranging from written warnings to dismissal from the police service.
Suping said IPID investigations are guided by the principles of independence, thoroughness, accountability, and the quality and integrity of its work.
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