South Africa’s long-promised police body camera programme remains without a confirmed rollout date.

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has acknowledged that SAPS still cannot say when body-worn cameras will be placed into operational use.

The technology has repeatedly been presented as a tool to improve police accountability, protect officers and strengthen evidence collection.

Parliamentary committees have also pushed SAPS to speed up implementation after years of delays.

Hundreds of cameras planned

SAPS has indicated that its initial rollout would include about 450 body-worn cameras at high-priority police stations and districts.

Dashboard cameras are also planned for around 100 operational sites, including Public Order Policing and Highway Patrol units.

The technology could record encounters between officers and members of the public and provide video evidence for investigations.

Police oversight committees have argued that body cameras could also help reduce civil claims against SAPS by providing an independent record of disputed incidents.

No confirmed implementation date

Despite those plans, no firm date has been announced for when the cameras will be issued to officers.

The continued uncertainty means the project remains largely at planning stage, despite being discussed by SAPS and Parliament for several years.

Parliament’s police committees have previously raised concerns about the lack of clear implementation timelines for technological upgrades within SAPS.

Cachalia’s latest comments confirm that the body camera programme is still not ready for a defined national rollout.

Technology seen as accountability tool

Parliament’s Select Committee on Security and Justice has welcomed the planned use of body-worn and dashboard cameras.

The committee said the technology could strengthen accountability, improve investigations and enhance the effectiveness of policing.

SAPS has also listed wider technology upgrades, including CCTV systems and improvements to digital infrastructure at police stations.

For now, however, the body camera programme remains in limbo.

Until SAPS publishes a procurement and deployment schedule, South Africans still have no clear indication of when officers will begin using the cameras on duty.