DA calls for SAPS body cameras after 8 killed in KZN shootouts

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) has called for officers to wear body cameras amid shootouts between suspected criminals and police in KwaZulu-Natal.

Eight people were killed in an alleged confrontation with police in the province this week alone.

This includes the shooting of five suspects in Inanda, north of Durban, on Thursday.

The group was accused of murder and armed robbery.

The DA in the NCOP said it is concerned about deadly shootouts involving suspected criminals and police.

The party said the deaths raise serious concerns about transparency, accountability and the absence of independently verifiable evidence during the encounters.

The NCOP provincial whip and DA member of the select committee on security and justice said,

“The Democratic Alliance (DA) will formally call on the Ministry of Police to urgently brief Parliament on the stalled rollout of police body-worn cameras, amid a growing number of fatal South African Police Service (SAPS) operations in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).”

Hesaid previous commitments made in this regard never materialised.

“The former Minister of Police publicly committed to implementing body-worn cameras from April 2025. That deadline has now passed, yet Parliament and the public have received no meaningful update on the status, funding, scope or timelines of this rollout.”