Why this petition exists
Huge quantities of cocaine have disappeared from SAPS/Hawks custody and returned to our streets, destroying lives and communities. We are launching this petition because:
Tons of dangerous drugs have allegedly left state control and flooded vulnerable neighbourhoods.
No senior official has been criminally convicted over these losses.
There is no remedy for the communities now facing more addiction, violence and death.
We do not believe the Madlanga Commission process will deliver real accountability or justice for ordinary citizens.
We demand a ring‑fenced national programme – equal to the street value of the missing cocaine – to fund rehabilitation, prevention and community support for the people who are paying the price.
What Happened 
Multiple public reports and Madlanga Commission evidence show that huge quantities of cocaine disappeared from SAPS/Hawks custody, including:
Port Shepstone / Isipingo consignment (±541 kg, ≈R200 million).
Aeroton / Gauteng consignment (±136.46 kg missing, ≈R55 million at street value).
Further major losses (around R300 million in cocaine reported missing from state storage overall).
This is unacceptable. These are tons of dangerous narcotics that have allegedly left state control and flooded our streets.
Madlanga Commission – key facts and our lack of faith
The Commission has heard that 541 kg of cocaine (≈R200 million) was stolen from the Hawks office in Port Shepstone in 2021, after being stored in a facility known to be unsafe (no proper CCTV, alarms or 24‑hour guards).
Evidence suggests the theft may have been an “inside job”, with senior officers aware the facility was vulnerable and intelligence reports flagging it as unsafe.
The Commission has criticised former Hawks head Dr Godfrey Lebeya for failing to act on internal reports recommending investigation and possible discipline over the storage and theft.
In the Aeroton bust (715.86 kg seized), about 136.46 kg (≈R55 million) later went missing from police storage, amid testimony about inexperienced handling and poor crime‑scene management.
The Commission’s final report is still pending (expected November 2026); its public material stresses that what has been heard so far is evidence and allegations, not final findings of guilt.
Despite all this, we do not anticipate real accountability. No senior official has yet been criminally convicted over these losses, and there is no remedy for the communities now flooded with the cocaine that vanished from police custody. That is why we demand the Citizens Cocain Refund: a ring‑fenced national programme equal to the street value of the missing drugs.
Why this matters
Drugs drive addiction, overdose, violence, gang activity and family breakdown.
Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has stated SAPS is fighting a war on crime. Yet if cocaine seized by police is stolen by or through SAPS members and returned to the streets, then SAPS members are fuelling the very war they claim to be fighting.
A “war on crime” cannot be an excuse for impunity when the State loses control of narcotics worth hundreds of millions of rand.
Our legal right to demand a remedy
As taxpayers, ratepayers, voters and citizens, we have a constitutional and statutory right to demand lawful, accountable government and an effective remedy where state failure causes or enables serious harm.
This campaign relies on, among others:
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996: sections 33, 195, 206(3) (right to just administrative action; accountable public administration; provincial oversight of police).
Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000 (PAJA).
State Liability Act 20 of 1957, section 1 (State liable for wrongs by its servants, including police).
IPID Act 1 of 2011, section 28 (independent investigation of police corruption, including systemic corruption).
SAPS Act 68 of 1995 and SAPS National Instruction 8 of 2017 (proper performance of duties; safekeeping of exhibits).
We demand
Criminal and disciplinary accountability for every official whose negligence, incompetence, corruption or involvement enabled these drugs to leave SAPS custody and land up on the streets.
The Citizens Cocain Refund: a ring‑fenced national programme, equal to the street value of all cocaine lost from SAPS custody in these major consignments, for:
Rehabilitation and treatment of persons addicted to cocaine, crack and other substances.
Community‑based prevention, education and reintegration programmes for youth and families.
Support services for families of addicts (counselling, social work, outreach).
Quarterly public reporting on funds spent and outcomes achieved.
Independent, people‑run oversight of the Citizens Cocain Refund, with representatives from affected communities (especially the Western Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu‑Natal), civil society, auditors and anti‑corruption experts.
Equal quality of rehab facilities for the most vulnerable and underprivileged communities, which are most rife with drugs – including communities in the Western Cape – so they receive rehabilitation of the same quality as the rest of South Africa.
We seek 100,000 signatures.
Public office is a public trust. Broken cameras, broken security and broken systems must not produce broken accountability.
“They refunded a coffee machine. We demand a refund for the communities cocaine destroyed.”