SAPS spends R1.16b on VIP protection
The SAPS annual report reveals that more than R1-billion was spent on VIP protection services.
MONEY spent on VIP Protections Services by the SAPS increased by 18 per cent from R977.9 million in 2014/15 to R1.16 billion in 2015/16. This was revealed in the SAPS Annual Report for 2015/16
“This exorbitant amount spent on the pampered executive elite, and the increase thereof from last year, is shameful, especially when one takes into account the chronic state of under-resourcing of police stations across South Africa,” said DA Shadow Minister of Police Zakhele Mbhele
In a media release on Sunday, Mbhele said the SAPS had been characterised by the four U’s – Under-resourced, under-staffed, under-equipped and under-trained. These, he said, had a direct impact on their ability to carry out their mandate of keeping South Africans safe.
“Not only are there usually too few operational officers at station level, but they are also short of the basic equipment, such as vehicles, radios, and protective gear to carry out their jobs.This money could have gone a long way to addressing this woeful state of affairs in our police service,” he said.
“This year’s crime stats alone, that have risen since last year, are frightening and need to be addressed urgently to keep our people safe. Our people, rather than politicians, must be put first. Hopefully the “back-to-basics” approach of the acting National Commissioner in this financial year will demonstrate a marked departure from this kind of excess. The Minister of Police, Nathi Nhleko, must ultimately be held accountable for splurging on programmes and items not essential for protecting ordinary South Africans, ” he said.
