‘Even MPs get kidnapped these days’ – Parties tear into police’s budget

On Tuesday, MPs unpacked the police’s budget, with some voicing their concern about the lackluster allocation to the crime intelligence division.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu outlined his department’s safety and security priorities when he presented the 2024/2025 financial year budget in Parliament.

Members of the Portfolio Committee on Police debated the budget and annual performance plan during the mini-plenary session.

Mchunu revealed that the South African Police Service (Saps) has been allocated R113.5 billion, while the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) have received R155.9 million and R370.5 million, respectively.

‘Police’s strategy doesn’t prevent crime’

The committee’s chairperson and Democratic Alliance (DA) MP, Ian Cameron said it was important to collaborate with police unions, civil society organisations, and protecting whistleblowers in the fight against crime.

Cameron said discipline within the police force required attention as some police officers have complained about unfair treatment.

“Police unions have frequently told Parliament that discipline is applied inconsistently and the low-ranking officers are sometimes punished more severely for minor infractions to their higher-ranking counterparts committing far more serious acts of misconduct,” the DA MP said.

uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party MP, David Skosana, pointed out how citizens have lost faith in the police due to issues such as corruption.

“The current police system in South Africa is flawed as it operates without the concern and trust of the communities themselves,” Skosana said.

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Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi argued that the annual performance plan failed to address two points “at the centre of the crime-ridden society in South Africa”.

“Your strategy is not committed to prevention of crime. You want to fight crime after it has happened.

“There is no well-articulated idea of how you are going to stop the murder rate, which is among the highest in the world,” Ndlozi told Parliament.

The EFF MP said he was of the view that the police have lost the war against crime.

“Your deployment of the budget and personnel should be preventative of these crimes.”

Watch the budget vote below:

Crime intelligence budget scrutinised

Ndlozi highlighted how kidnappings for ransom payments were on the rise, referencing United Democratic Alliance (UDM) deputy leader Nqabayomzi Kwankwa’s abduction as an example.

“Even members of Parliament in this chamber these days get kidnapped,” the EFF MP said.

On 18 June, Kwankwa was kidnapped in Khayelitsha ahead of his trip to attend President Cyril Ramaphosa’s inauguration the following day in Pretoria.

The suspects behind his abduction demanded a R10 000 ransom, which was paid by his party.

READ MORE: Robbers criticised UDM deputy president for having R9 000 in his account

Kwankwa himself took the podium during the budget vote debate, stressing that citizens were living in fear of criminals.

“Everything happened in full view of the public in the middle of the road. Even when I was taken to this place where I was supposed to be killed, the same thing happened.

“There were people passing behind me and I counted five different footsteps of people who were told not to pay attention, to mind their own business, while I was tied up, ready to be shot.

“It concerned me because our people are living in fear. They are living in fear of criminals wherever we go,” he said.

IN PICTURES: Budget vote debates in Parliament. #7thParliament #30YearsofDemocracy #30YearsofDemocraticParliament pic.twitter.com/ek0GrgogET

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The UDM deputy leader said the police needed to invest more in crime intelligence.

“We need to detect and prevent crime rather than reacting to it because when we are reacting to it, we are not solving or addressing the problem.

“This thing of crime intelligence services receiving less than 5% of the budget is a problem needs to be looked into; otherwise, we are not being preventative,” Kwankwa added.

READ MORE: Taxpayers taken for a ride: Saps guzzle over R42m on fuel for VIP protection cars

While crime intelligence received R4.74 billion, the police’s protection and security services were allocated a total of R4.09 billion, of which R2.17 billion goes to the VIP protection unit.

One MP highlighted how this did not make sense.

“The National Coloured Congress cannot support this budget. It cannot support a budget that allocates more to the protection of 72 VIPs than to crime intelligence. It is unthinkable,” NCC leader Fadiel Adams said.