Media statement on Ian Cameron’s remarks regarding acquitted SAPS officersBy POPCRU President Thulani Ngwenya

Today, I take this opportunity to respond to the deeply troubling remarks made by Mr Ian Cameron recently on the social media platform X, in which he refers to acquitted SAPS officers as “thugs.” He has attempted to cloak these remarks in the language of democratic oversight, and claims his views are grounded in evidence and aligned with the work of the Portfolio Committee on Police.

Let me be clear that such remarks are not an oversight. His comments represent a self-inflicted wound on the credibility of the Committee, and the broader principles of justice and constitutional governance.

Oversight does not equate to trial by media. It is not a licence for insults, bypassing legal processes, or delegitimising officers who have faced the courts and been acquitted. Mr Cameron’s labelling of these officers as “thugs” is not only irresponsible but reckless, prejudicial, and defamatory.

If he claims to speak on behalf of this Portfolio Committee, then we must ask:

• Are other members in agreement with this derogatory labelling?

• Has the Committee taken a formal position on this matter?

• What is the official posture of this Committee toward officers who have been cleared by the judiciary?

  
  

The Committee and Parliament as a whole must stand above political theatrics. We must uphold the constitutional rights of all, including those of workers in the criminal justice system who are entitled to fair representation and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

The rights of workers cannot be sacrificed at the altar of populist point-scoring. Oversight is not defined by volume or bravado but is instead measured by rigour, fairness, and due process.

AS POPCRU, we therefore call upon the Committee to distance itself from these utterances, to reaffirm its commitment to respectful, lawful oversight, and to recognise the harm caused when individual actors attempt to delegitimise entire categories of public servants without due process.

As POPCRU and its affiliates, we will continue to defend our members against unjust attacks. But more importantly, we will continue to uphold the rule of law, even when others choose to trample it in pursuit of headlines.