Police 'errors' are costing the State

ACCORDING to a 2022 report, South Africa is dealing with civil claims totalling at least R147 billion. The government spends billions on legal fees each year to defend itself against these claims, which include those made against the home affairs, police, and health departments.

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These lawsuits can usually be avoided.

Consider a case where a man in his late forties was charged with “stabbing” a woman in her seventies. The investigating officer failed to conduct a proper investigation, and the prosecutor proceeded despite the complainant admitting under oath that she had not claimed to be stabbed.

The medical legal document, called J88, which is for injuries sustained in crimes such as assault, also showed no evidence of a stabbing.