The Democratic Alliance (DA) says the latest Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) 2024/25 audit outcomes report confirms that South Africa’s policing and security oversight institutions are: “operating with a complete absence of consequence management.”

According to the AGSA the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) together recorded more than R667 million in irregular spending, including R184 million identified this financial year but relating to prior periods. The DA’s Deputy Spokesperson on Police, Ian Cameron, said SAPS alone is sitting on R2.5 billion in unresolved historical irregular expenditure, evidence of: “persistent governance failures that endanger public safety.”

“The same audit findings keep repeating, oversight is weak, and governance failures are persistent,” Cameron said. “Mismanagement here is not abstract. It affects the safety and security of South Africans every single day.”

He pointed to the delayed release of crime statistics, malfunctioning forensic laboratories, and chronic tender irregularities as direct threats to public security.

Cameron said PSIRA’s record was equally alarming, citing: “ongoing financial misstatements, overspending, and reliance on external contractors,” which he described as proof that: “governance and accountability at this regulator are dangerously inadequate.”

The DA has called for immediate action from Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia, including the filling of the long-vacant SAPS Internal Audit post, lifestyle audits for senior management, tender reforms, and disciplinary proceedings against all officials implicated in irregular expenditure.