Commission in the North West has released a damning report on non-compliance at facilities belonging to the South African

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in the North West has released a damning report on non-compliance at facilities belonging to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Departments of Correctional Services and Public Works and Infrastructure. The commission investigated the state of police stations and correctional facilities in the province from 2023 to 2025. The commission says out of 86 police stations across the province, 66 are not compliant with the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Furthermore, the HRC found that there was a lack of maternity facilities, fire drills and adequate food supply, among others, in 10 correctional facilities in the province.

1/3 This morning, the SAHRC Limpopo Office is conducting SAPS Human Rights Dialogue in Mopani District, Tzaneen. pic.twitter.com/HcKeNMuGQv — SAHRCommission (@SAHRCommission) July 23, 2026 "As we were doing monitoring work, we kept picking up the same issues in those facilities. These included problems relating to infrastructure, overcrowding, vehicle shortages and staffing shortages, among others.

As we continued identifying the same issues at various stations, we realised they were not isolated incidents, but systemic problems that warranted investigation by the South African Human Rights Commission at a systemic level, says the SAHRC manager in North West, Shirley Mlombo. North West police spokesperson, Colonel Adele Myburgh, says they are still studying the HRC report."