Iconic crime fighter and MP Ian Cameron – who was elected unopposed as Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police in Parliament – tells BizNews viewers how the committee will function to ensure accountability, and lists his priorities as chairperson. Cameron – who had a very hostile relationship with former Police Minister Bheki Cele – also hails the new Minister, Senzo Mchunu, as somebody that listens. He has words of hope for under-resourced police officers, as well as crime victims whose cases have been taking too long to investigate.
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Highlights from the interview
In an interview with Chris Steyn for BizNews, Ian Cameron discussed various issues facing the South African Police Service (SAPS) and his perspectives on improving crime control. Cameron emphasized the need for better resource allocation within the police force, criticizing the bloated management and advocating for more support to ground-level officers. He highlighted systemic issues, such as corruption at the Philippi Training College, which undermines public trust and police efficiency.
Cameron underscored the dire crime statistics in South Africa, with only 14.5% of murders being solved, equating to nearly 80% remaining unsolved, likening the situation to a war zone. He conveyed his deep concern over the nation’s high murder rates and the apparent normalization of such violence.
Despite these challenges, Cameron remains hopeful, inspired by his faith and the presence of many dedicated and honest police officers. He encouraged South Africans to utilize all available avenues—portfolio committees, civil rights organizations, and political channels—to support good cops and demand accountability. Cameron expressed optimism about the new Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, whom he finds approachable and keen on understanding and addressing the discrepancies within the police force. He concluded by stressing the importance of restoring respect for Parliament and the Police Portfolio Committee’s role in oversight and reform.
Edited transcript of the interview ___STEADY_PAYWALL___
00:00:11:15 – 00:00:23:07 Chris Steyn:
Crime fighter and now Member of Parliament Ian Cameron has been elected chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police in Parliament. Welcome, Ian.
00:00:23:09 – 00:00:24:16 Ian Cameron:
Thank you, Chris.
00:00:24:18 – 00:00:42:06 Chris Steyn:
The first time I interviewed you, you were still at Action Society. The last time I interviewed you, you had joined the then opposition Democratic Alliance and now you are in government. What a journey and what a transition. How does it feel?
00:00:42:08 – 00:01:16:14 Ian Cameron:
It doesn’t feel real yet. So, I think it will take some getting used to. Look, there’s a part of me, especially now with the police commission, and we can talk about that shortly, but I think there will always be a strong opposition nature in me. It makes it slightly easier to hold people accountable and to really look at things from the outside as well, which is a good way of doing introspection.
00:01:16:14 – 00:01:30:03
Right? But nevertheless, I’m very grateful to be in the position that I’m in. It’s a huge honour for me, and I’m really looking forward to taking on the challenge.
00:01:30:05 – 00:01:35:07 Chris Steyn:
Who else was in the running for chairperson of the portfolio committee on police?
00:01:35:09 – 00:02:00:19 Ian Cameron:
So, Chris, yesterday when the portfolio committee got together, we had no chairperson yet, and they then asked for nominations. I was then nominated, and no one else was nominated, so it was uncontested. My nomination was seconded, and shortly after that, it was official that I would be elected as the portfolio committee chair.
00:02:00:21 – 00:02:27:11
We literally started with, I mean, talk about in at the deep end. Our first meeting was 7.5 hours long, and it was welcomed. I was welcomed, but the committee too was welcomed in a very positive way by the new minister of police as well. The national commissioner and his team were also there, and then of course the head of the Hawks, IPID, and PSIRA too. So it was quite a first meeting, and we can talk about the technicalities of that too shortly, but it was positive, as I said, uncontested and very grateful.
00:02:47:12 – 00:02:52:10 Chris Steyn:
So all the parties were in favour?
00:02:52:12 – 00:03:15:16 Ian Cameron:
Yes. Of course, I mean, MK and EFF did push me a little bit during the sitting, but it was still positive and it was constructive from all parties. It was very interesting to see the dynamic, and I’ve heard about it before, but it was really good to see the changing dynamics once you step into a committee.
00:03:15:16 – 00:03:45:15
It’s almost as though a lot of the politicking disappears, and it becomes an issue of community safety, an issue of policing, an issue of accountability. There was not one entity or party or person in that sitting yesterday that didn’t ask valid and important questions and that didn’t mention valid and important points. The contribution from the police and the other entities that were there was quite good.
00:03:45:17 – 00:04:12:00
I mean, they did their presentations and so on, but it was fantastic to see how a portfolio committee can actually work and can actually hold people accountable because I think it is something that kind of got a little bit lost. And I don’t say it as criticism, but it is something that a lot of South Africans lost interest in, portfolio committees, because I think they kind of felt it was just a presentation mechanism, whereas it’s actually an oversight and accountability mechanism.
00:04:12:02 – 00:04:47:23
With something like police, I mean, the immense responsibility that we have and power in a positive sense that we have to really ask critical questions and to hold the relevant people accountable is spectacular. And it’s something that we need to take very, very seriously.
00:04:51:05 – 00:04:53:19 Chris Steyn:
What exactly is your job description?
00:04:53:21 – 00:05:25:10 Ian Cameron:
So, I think it’s quite broad. Let’s first talk about what the scope is of this portfolio committee. It obviously includes the South African Police Service, which includes the Hawks, so DPCI, all priority crime investigation, etc. Then IPID, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, then the Police Civilian Secretariat, and then of course, PSIRA, the Private Security Regulating Authority.
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00:05:25:10 – 00:06:16:01
Ian Cameron:
So, those are all the bodies that basically fall under this umbrella. You can imagine it has a significant portion of union involvement, a significant portion of NGO and NPO involvement, and the whole non-profit sector plays a significant role in whistleblowing, combating crime, etc., in South Africa. Therefore, my job to a large extent—I’ll get to the parliamentary specifics now—is to be able to give those entities a platform to hold the necessary people to account.
00:06:16:03 – 00:06:40:05
Ian Cameron:
It’s important to create those platforms for them to give their input on important decisions that are made. We have to consider legislation or bills that need to be passed or not, for that matter. Specifically for me as an individual, it’s important that I remain as objective as possible.
00:06:40:05 – 00:07:18:02
Ian Cameron:
You play an important role in not choosing sides. You don’t go and sit there and put on a political party hat or an NGO hat. You go and sit there not as an activist either, although in my heart, I think I’ll always be a little bit of an activist with regards to crime, especially. But once you sit there, everyone needs to have their fair chance to say what they need to say or ask what they need to ask, and then obviously give the relevant people the opportunity to answer those questions or comments.
00:07:18:04 – 00:07:44:21
Ian Cameron:
I’ve summarized it very basically. A key part of this, as a simple example, and these are all questions that we are aiming to raise very soon—the team is already busy doing the necessary work to send letters—is to ask why specific murder cases have taken two or three years with no progress.
00:07:44:21 – 00:08:14:09
Ian Cameron:
Soon I’ll share more details of those cases, but today we already sent several requests for letters to be sent within the next week or so to ask why these cases have taken so long. If the existing unit or detective working on that case is not doing an adequate job, then it needs to be transferred to someone who can do the job properly.
00:08:14:09 – 00:08:40:05
Ian Cameron:
Something we’re busy with at the moment—this was a sitting yesterday—is the budget for the coming year or two. We can clearly see the deficiencies in terms of resource allocation. It seems the government still doesn’t understand how important it is that we need more detectives or that IPID needs more investigators.
00:08:40:10 – 00:09:07:01
Ian Cameron:
IPID has almost 180 investigators for the entire country. It’s physically impossible. They’ve got an average of 350 cases each in IPID, and it’s similar for detectives in the South African Police Service. The pressure is immense. The core issue for me, and you know my heart in terms of victims of crime and supporting them…
00:09:07:03 – 00:09:35:17
Ian Cameron:
…but something I feel we often miss is support for good police on the ground. Hardly anyone speaks about their psychological well-being, the stress they work under, the lack of resources, and the fact that they keep on going. I must tell you, the messages of support I’ve received in the last 24 hours after the election from police members have been overwhelming, from cops I’ve never spoken to in my life…
00:09:35:19 – 00:09:55:12
Ian Cameron:
…who somehow got my number. I’ve been inundated with messages of support from them, thanking me for letting them be heard. That is one of the single biggest motivations for me to work harder because if they can hang in there, surely we can do more.
00:09:55:14 – 00:10:00:02
Chris Steyn:
What, as chairperson, will be your priorities?
00:10:00:04 – 00:10:22:17
Ian Cameron:
Resource allocation is crucial for me. Obviously, the budget needs to be passed now. We are at a point where it’s very difficult to make amendments, and obviously, it’s from a previous executive. But we’re already indicating in our reports that will be released to the committee tomorrow. I think it will be public soon as well.
Ian Cameron (00:10:22:19 – 00:10:53:13)
We actually just completed, or I just completed, the draft now from yesterday’s committee. We’ve already indicated that in the near future, we would need to consider amending the budget to ensure that the police have the right resource allocation in the right places. One of the issues that came up was the constant appointment of senior officers where they are not necessarily needed.
Ian Cameron (00:10:53:13 – 00:11:24:20)
We’ve got an extremely bloated management in the South African Police Service, and I’m not convinced that it is a priority. We could rather use that money to support members on the ground. So that’s one very simple example: resource allocation, and the same goes for IPID. Then, a core responsibility is to question specific cases that I see as important and that I think have a national influence or impact.
Ian Cameron (00:11:24:20 – 00:11:46:16)
So, if something has the potential to cause a negative trend nationally, for example, a question we’re already asking is, when are the arrests happening for the Philippi Training College corruption? 114 million rand is unaccounted for, and the same commander is still in charge of the college. How is that possible?
Ian Cameron (00:11:46:16 – 00:12:10:13)
How is it possible that this very commander tells police members that nothing will happen to him, and if it does, he will bring others down with him? It is simply unacceptable. These types of cases play a significant role in causing the risk of a negative trend throughout the police.
Ian Cameron (00:12:10:13 – 00:12:48:02)
Because if it’s happening at Philippi, the chances are it’s likely happening at other police academies as well. So those are some examples. And then the third one, I believe, is really being an oversight voice for South Africans on the ground. We need to restore respect for Parliament and for a committee like the Police Portfolio Committee because it has an immense responsibility and it is something that needs to be used.
Ian Cameron (00:12:48:02 – 00:13:11:09)
It’s constitutionally mandated to do what we are doing, and therefore we need to actually use it. If I go to a police station and I ask to see their occurrence book as oversight, they are not allowed to say no. It is my constitutional mandate to do that. They can’t stop me from doing that.
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Ian Cameron (00:13:11:11 – 00:13:33:05)
It’s a very simple example, but it’s a straightforward way of doing it. And, obviously, Chris, we’ll have a more detailed strategic plan set up within the next three months. As soon as the budgets are done, we’ll start planning that and then get everyone together for a more detailed strategy for the coming five years.
Ian Cameron (00:13:33:10 – 00:13:42:13)
We’ve got a lot of work cut out for us, and it’s something we need to have patience for and tackle step by step.
Chris Steyn (00:13:42:15 – 00:13:51:22)
Now, you and the previous Minister of Police had a publicly hostile relationship. I sense that this will not be the case with the new Minister of Police.
Ian Cameron (00:13:52:00 – 00:14:18:02)
No, and I must say, it’s still early days, but I think Minister Senzo Mchunu is a positive appointment so far. The way he speaks and conducts himself is significant in my opinion, and he’s very approachable.
Ian Cameron (00:14:18:02 – 00:14:42:05)
He’s someone you can speak with, someone who listens, and someone who is interested in hearing opinions and advice. He wants to understand better. Just before you and I spoke, I was on the phone with him, and he immediately tells me that he’s desperately trying to spend more time with police management.
Ian Cameron (00:14:42:12 – 00:15:02:08)
He needs to get going now; he wants to start operating, but he needs to spend quality time understanding where discrepancies are, what good and bad things are happening, or not happening. So, I’m excited about that, and it’s going to be very interesting to see what he does.
Ian Cameron (00:15:02:08 – 00:15:27:08)
Something that stood out to me was the fact that I didn’t get the impression that he was trying to be a commissioner. He allowed the South African Police Service National Commissioner to speak freely, to speak as the commissioner, as the CEO of the police. And that’s something that has been missing in previous years. It was as though ministers thought they were the operational commanders of the police, but they are not.
Ian Cameron (00:15:27:10 – 00:15:39:03)
So it’s good to see that the function or the role allocations already seem to be better distinguished than what they were.
Chris Steyn (00:15:39:05 – 00:15:47:06)
What words do you have for a nation that has virtually given up on crime being brought under control?
Ian Cameron (00:15:47:08 – 00:16:07:10)
Sure, I think it’s a whole day’s worth of discussion. My motto, first of all, from a faith point of view, is Psalm 23:4: “I will fear no evil.” The principle is just that even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil
Ian Cameron (00:16:07:10 – 00:16:34:12)
because you are with me. So that’s my ultimate hope. But apart from that, on a more practical level, we don’t have another alternative. We need to make this work. We’ve got one opportunity to do it. I wrote a piece this morning saying that it can never ever be accepted that 85 or more people are murdered every day in this country.
Ian Cameron (00:16:35:08 – 00:17:03:13)
We carry on as though it’s okay. It’s just another 85. What difference does it make… three children per day? I mean, it’s almost three years since Mia Botha was murdered. You and I have spoken about that case so many times and still no one has been arrested. It simply cannot be. I was going through police reports earlier today and yesterday in the committee, and I look at crime detection rates… at an all-time low.
Ian Cameron (00:17:03:13 – 00:17:32:03)
They’re extremely low. Only 14.5% of murders are actually solved in South Africa. So that means nearly 80% of murders are not solved. This is war zone stuff we’re talking about, and we certainly cannot accept that as the norm. Again, to me, and this is how I hope to encourage other ordinary South Africans, there are many good police members out there.
Ian Cameron (00:17:32:03 – 00:17:54:19)
I give them my word, and I know there are a lot of problems in the South African Police Service. But trust me when I say I know hundreds, if not more, of them. I’ve spoken to thousands of them, and I can honestly tell you that there are people with impeccable integrity in the police, and we need to cherish them. We need to exhaust every single remedy at our disposal.
Ian Cameron (00:17:54:19 – 00:18:24:00)
If it is a portfolio committee, use that. If it is a civil rights organisation, do that. If it’s politically, do that too. Do all three if you can, but make sure you exhaust every single remedy at your disposal to cherish the good cops and to fight for your community because the remedies are there. To me, it’s a huge honour to be in a position where, with this committee of people who are really dedicated,
Ian Cameron (00:18:24:02 – 00:18:34:06)
we can ask questions that need to be asked, we can demand answers, and we can also support the relevant authorities.
Chris Steyn (00:18:34:08 – 00:18:37:12)
Thank you, Ian. That was Ian Cameron speaking to BizNews.
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