SAPS 10111: R19.3m spent as ageing technology, staffing shortages persist

South Africa's 10111 emergency call centres face persistent staffing shortages and outdated technology, despite years of reform efforts. The service, which operators use to handle urgent police matters, requires about R19.3 million annually for maintenance and upgrades of its core systems. The Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Global Emergency Mobile Communications Command and Control (GEMC3), and Mobile Data System (MDS) have reached end-of-life status, leaving no room for software updates, security patches, or technical support.

Despite the 2023/24 report noting a 26.44% abandoned-call rate and response times ranging from 8 to 35 minutes, SAPS has been unable to improve personnel and technological capacity. The centres are meant to have 3,344 personnel but only had 1,315 as of April 2022, with only 41.5% of the required staff on duty during reform efforts.

SAPS has submitted a procurement request for a modern communication solution to replace obsolete infrastructure, while also working to replace GEMC3 with an Incident Management System with Computer-Aided Dispatch capability. However, the tender for this replacement was cancelled in April 2026, leaving the current systems in place.