South Africa—10 Jun 2026

One South African police station has more than 700 unresolved murder cases

The Plessislaer SA Police Station in Pietermaritzburg has over 700 unresolved murder cases, with a load of 300 to 400 case dockets per detective.

This was one of the findings of an oversight visit conducted by the Democratic Alliance (DA) at Plessislaer SAPS.

The station operates with only 307 personnel, despite an approved establishment of 375, leaving 68 posts vacant.

Several critical positions, including detective and senior officer roles, have reportedly remained vacant since 2022.

Plessislaer is representative of a policing system under severe strain, left to fend for itself by the failures of successive Police Ministers.

The oversight further revealed that post-mortem reports, ballistic testing, and forensic results are taking between 4 and 7 months to complete.

These long lead times delay investigations and undermine the delivery of justice. It makes successful prosecutions more challenging.

More than 100 post-mortem records linked to criminal investigations were destroyed during industrial action affecting Department of Health facilities in 2021.

Many of these records cannot be reconstructed, potentially affecting murder investigations and criminal prosecutions.

There was also a recent escape from the police holding cells, with a police officer subsequently arrested in connection with the incident.

“These findings point to deep systemic failures within policing and the criminal justice system in KwaZulu-Natal,” the DA said.

“While SAPS members continue to work under extremely difficult conditions, it is clear that an urgent intervention is needed to strengthen detective services.”

“It is crucial to fill critical vacancies, address forensic backlogs, and modernise policing resources.”

It is committed to escalating these findings to the Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, and the Acting Police Minister, Firoz Cachalia.