Although the frontend of the SAPS Newsroom Search Page has been altered to remove the ability to search media reports based on province, the backend is still unchanged and capable.
The cosmetic alteration to the frontend of the SAPS Newsroom Search Page, specifically the removal of the province search feature, occurred sometime after May 17, 2022. By July 3, 2022, citizens and the media could no longer access the functionality to search police media statements based on province. This cosmetic modification raises questions about the motivations behind the decision and the potential impact on citizens and the media who relied on this feature.
Credit is owed to the Web Archive for preserving historical links to the SAPS website, allowing the use of the underlying functionality of searching SAPS media statements by province. Whether the SAPS Webmaster will opt to remove the backend functionality in response remains to be seen.
The uncertainty surrounding the cosmetic removal of this critical feature certainly raises questions and adds an air of mystery to the situation.
