Inspection finds policing gaps at Kempton Park and Tembisa SAPS

An unannounced inspection of two Ekurhuleni police stations has exposed gaps in policing capacity, with Kempton Park SAPS found without electricity or a functioning generator and Tembisa facing a shortage of detectives.

The findings come as police investigate the deaths of women across Ekurhuleni, with Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police Chairperson Ian Cameron questioning whether enough resources are reaching the stations.

However, the Gauteng government says the challenges are not new.

Cameron’s visit to Kempton Park and Tembisa SAPS comes two weeks after the government announced that police visibility would be massively increased in the area through Operation Shanela, amid heightened concern over the deaths of women across Ekurhuleni.

He said there was “zero visible sign” of the additional policing capacity promised by the government.

“You cannot have a highly visible lockdown that is invisible when you arrive unannounced,” he added.

At Kempton Park, Cameron said the station was dark when he arrived, with no electricity and no working generator.

He added that station management revealed it had applied for a generator about three years ago and that, although the application had been approved, the equipment had still not been delivered.

“A police station cannot be expected to support a major surge in policing visibility while it cannot reliably keep its lights on. This creates a safety and service-delivery risk for police members and members of the public entering the station.” 

The station’s vehicle fleet was also under pressure, with Cameron saying 27 vehicles had been boarded since 2020 and one had been waiting for repairs for 98 working days.

At Tembisa, Cameron said he found 71 detectives against an establishment of 81, while station management indicated that only about three visible-policing vehicles were generally available for deployment per shift.

“The recent murders of women across Ekurhuleni make properly resourced investigative capacity even more urgent.” 

He also raised questions about the distribution of policing resources, comparing the approximately R2.46 billion allocated to VIP Protection Services in 2026/27 with about R1.614 billion for the SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences environment.

“That comparison requires serious scrutiny when specialised detectives are expected to investigate some of the most serious crimes against women and children.” 

Cameron said his criticism was not aimed at individual officers, while the Gauteng government said the challenges identified at Kempton Park were not new and had already been raised with the relevant policing structures. 

Provincial government spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the challenges at Kempton Park SAPS, including infrastructure, equipment, human resources, and the Community Service Centre telephone line, had previously been raised by station management.

Premier Panyaza Lesufi said the province had confronted the problems with national, provincial, and local stakeholders.

“We acknowledge the resource challenges facing the station; our sin was not to play to the gallery but to confront the challenges head-on with all national, provincial, and local stakeholders,” Lesufi said.

The province said intensified operations involving SAPS, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD), and other law-enforcement agencies were continuing in Kempton Park, while policing remained a national competency, with the allocation of SAPS personnel, vehicles, and equipment ultimately falling under the national policing command structure.

It pointed to 76 kidnapping cases recorded in Kempton Park between April and June, compared with 48 during the same period last year, the highest number recorded in a Gauteng policing precinct during that period.

An Operation Shanela II operation in the Kempton Park policing precinct on September 17 resulted in 51 arrests, while more than 1 000 wanted suspects were arrested through operations conducted across Gauteng.

Lesufi said the province welcomed scrutiny and that the challenges were already receiving attention.

“We welcome oversight, because accountability is important. But oversight must be accompanied by an appreciation of what is already being done. The challenges identified at Kempton Park police station have been raised before, and they are already receiving attention.” 

He said the focus remained on increasing police visibility, arrests, and investigations.

“The people of Kempton Park need action, not political theatre. They need to see police visibility, arrests, investigations, and a coordinated response. That work has been taking place, and we will continue to strengthen it,” he said.