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The Citizen reports that nearly R360 million in overtime has been paid by the SA Police Service (SAPS) to members of the VIP protection unit over the past two years.
This was disclosed in a written reply to a parliamentary question by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana had inquired about the total overtime payments made to VIP Protection Unit officers for guarding ministers and their deputies. Mchunu, in his response, disclosed that overtime payments totalled R198,045,844) during the 2022/23 financial year. The payments decreased to R161,885,074) in the following year. Both amounts totalled R359,930,918). Gana had also inquired about which ministries had had the highest overtime claims and requested details on the top five ministries. However, Mchunu clarified that overtime claims were consistent across all ministries. “All close protection officers are claiming the same number of hours for overtime, per month, which is 100 hours, due to the extra-ordinary working hours,” Mchunu indicated. In July, Mchunu presented the police’s budget for the 2024/2025 financial year in parliament. The budget for the VIP protection unit was criticised by some MPs during a vote debate in a mini-plenary session. Build One SA’s Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster highlighted the growing size of the executive, which now included 32 ministers and 43 deputy ministers, as a strain on the police budget. Other MPs argued that these funds would be better spent on crime-fighting efforts.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Molefe Seeletsa at The Citizen
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