As part of its commitment to strengthening democracy through civic education, the Hanns Seidel Foundation and its Civics Academy (CA), together with an experienced facilitator, delivered a comprehensive training programme for Cape Town Metro Police cadets. The initiative was conducted in partnership with the City of Cape Town Public Safety Training College.
The programme contributed to the City’s ‘Project 1000’, which provided training to an initial 1000 new law enforcement recruits not only in technical policing skills, but also in the principles of community-based or ‘localised’ policing. It is envisaged that each Ward in the city will have five Metro Police officers permanently deployed to it, enabling them to build constructive relationships with residents, businesses and community groups in the Ward. This, in turn, will promote the City’s stated aim of enhancing community safety across the Metro.
Policing in South Africa, whether at national or at local government level, operates under clear constitutional principles, primarily those of service to the public, upholding fundamental rights, and co-operation between police structures and the communities they serve. The Civic Education presented by the Hanns Seidel Foundation provided the cadets with an overall understanding of the constitutional, governance and legal contexts in which they will be employed as law enforcement officers.
To this end, between July 2024 and August 2025, approximately 820 cadets took part in 20 interactive three-day workshops. Using videos, presentations, case studies, and group exercises, the programme created an engaging learning environment that encouraged active participation and critical thinking. Civic education at school level is unfortunately very weak, and for most of the cadets this was their first opportunity to explore these issues, and to begin to develop an understanding of their constitutional and democratic rights and duties, both as citizens and as potential law enforcement officers.
Workshop Focus Areas
The training covered key aspects of democratic governance and policing, including:
- The Constitution and the rights it protects
- Principles of governance and the role of local government
- Citizen participation in democratic processes
- The role of policing in a democracy
Building Knowledge and Values
The programme aimed to equip future public servants with both practical knowledge and democratic values, reinforcing professionalism, accountability, and respect for the communities they serve.
After completing the course, cadets expressed a strong commitment to:
- Serving with integrity and respect, guided by the Constitution and Batho Pele principles
- Educating others about constitutional rights, governance, and civic participation
- Actively engaging in democracy by attending community meetings, engaging local councillors, and encouraging public participation
- Applying the law transparently, lawfully, and responsibly to build trust between law enforcement and citizens
This initiative forms part of the Western Cape – Bavaria Partnership, funded by the Bavarian State Chancellery, demonstrating the value of international cooperation in strengthening public service capacity and promoting democratic governance.
Civics Academy also extends its gratitude to We The People of SA for sponsoring 1,000 copies of the South African Constitution, which greatly enriched the training and supported meaningful engagement during the workshops.
