His statement prompted opposition MPs to shout, “Where are the arrests?”.

“We have begun in earnest to put the recommendations of the Farlam Commission of Inquiry into action so that our country may begin to heal from one of the darkest periods of our short history,” he said while presenting his budget vote in Parliament.

The commission, headed by the retired Judge Ian Farlam, investigated the deaths of 44 people during strike-related unrest at Lonmin's platinum mine in Marikana, Rustenburg, in August 2012.

The recommendations included an inquiry into the fitness to hold office of suspended national police commissioner, Riah Phiyega, for the National Prosecuting Authority to investigate several of the killings, and whether police exceeded the bounds of self and private defence in shooting the strikers.

Accessible to all

Nhleko sang the praises of the police and lauded various sectors for their contribution to the fight against crime. Police continued to diligently ensure South Africans were and felt safe, he said.

Steps would result in the meaningful transformation of the police service and its allied institutions, Nhleko said, and efforts to improve civilian oversight of the SAPS would be done with the recently approved White Paper on Policing as a guide.

Nhleko said the police service should be accessible to all.

To achieve this, more mobile community service centres would be set up. There would be partnerships with traditional authorities and the Post Office to establish service points in areas that had scant policing service points.

The SAPS was allocated a budget of R80.8 billion for the 2016/17 financial year.

-News24.com