Overview
- The Western Cape government, the South African Police Service and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime launched the Lawyers in Police Stations Project in Mitchells Plain on 18 August 2026 and named Malikah Schaffers as the first full-time lawyer on a three-year placement.
- The lawyer will work inside the station to mentor officers on taking witness statements, preserving and labelling evidence, and preparing dockets so arrests are more likely to survive scrutiny in court.
- Officials say the role does not remove investigative responsibility from police but provides legal guidance and training to fix technical failures that often cause cases to be struck or withdrawn.
- Funding for the Mitchells Plain placement comes from a mix of provincial government money, GI-TOC support and private-sector contributions and the model will be evaluated for possible rollouts to Stellenbosch and other precincts.
- The programme responds to documented weaknesses in the justice chain, including a court-watching finding that 243 cases were struck between April and September 2023 and SAPS data showing 1,853 statutory-rape withdrawals between 2020/21 and 2024/25, which campaigners say erode victims' trust and outcomes.