The South African Police Service (SAPS) has rejected an apparent offer by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni to add R500,000 to an existing R400,000 reward issued by the police in connection with the murders of multiple women in the metro.
Police cite strict protocols on rewards
SAPS deputy national commissioner Lt‑Gen Tebello Mosikili told journalists that the DA’s proposed top‑up cannot be combined with the official police reward, pointing to strict legal and administrative protocols that govern donations, financial contributions and the issuing of rewards by the service.
“I don’t know how or what the DA has suggested [about] combining, but it cannot be combined,”
Mosikili said only law‑enforcement and state authorities have the power to issue and confirm official rewards and that any declared reward must follow prescribed processes. She said an oversight committee has been appointed to evaluate information provided by informants and to ensure that the declared R400,000 follows the SAPS’s informer reward system.
Encouraging information, emphasising process
The deputy national commissioner urged the public to come forward with information regardless of monetary incentive, describing the reward as a tool rather than the sole mechanism to secure leads. She said the SAPS will pay a deserving informant following established procedures.
Mosikili framed the appeal to the public in stark terms, saying the priority is to halt a pattern of killings: information needs to be provided “now” so authorities can investigate and prevent further deaths, she said.
What the proposal would have meant
The DA in Ekurhuleni announced what it described as a R500,000 top‑up shortly after SAPS declared a R400,000 reward for information that could advance probe efforts. Mosikili questioned the legal authority and the terms under which a political party could make such an offer and stressed the need for clarity on whether such donations are permitted under law and departmental policy.
| Issuer | Amount |
|---|---|
| SAPS (official) | R400,000 |
| DA in Ekurhuleni (proposed) | R500,000 |
Implications and next steps
- The SAPS oversight committee will vet tip‑offs and determine reward payments under the department’s existing informer reward system.
- Questions remain about how political actors should engage with criminal investigations without compromising legal processes or chain‑of‑custody arrangements for information and payments.
- Members of the public are being urged to provide any information that could help investigators identify and arrest suspects linked to the killings.
The dispute underscores tensions that can arise when political parties attempt to intervene in high‑profile criminal matters. While rewards are often used to incentivise informants, Mosikili’s comments highlight that there are administrative and legal safeguards intended to preserve the integrity of investigations and to ensure that payments are made to legitimate, vetted informants.
For now, the declared R400,000 remains the official reward associated with the SAPS investigation; whether the DA’s R500,000 offer can be restructured to support families or victim‑support services without interfering with police procedures would depend on consultations with legal advisers and departmental authorities, Mosikili suggested.
The probe into the killings in Ekurhuleni remains under way. SAPS and the oversight committee will proceed with evaluation of any information submitted, and the police reiterated their appeal for members of the public with relevant information to come forward through the appropriate channels.
