Over R160 million in overtime pay was spent on the protectors of President Cyril Ramaphosa, his deputy Paul Mashatile and other high-ranking South African politicians in the 2023-2024 financial year.
This was revealed by Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu last week, answering a question posed by Rise Mzansi member of Parliament (MP) Makashule Gana.
And this amount was an decrease on the preceding financial year. In 2022-2023, the members of the South African Police Service’s (SAPS’) VIP Protection Unit raked in just under R200 million.
“The total amount in overtime has the SA Police Service paid to VIP Protection officers for the 2022-23 and 2023-2024 financial years is R 198 045 844.00 and R 161 885 074.00, respectively,” answered Mchunu.
The minister also added the 100 hours was maximum overtime permitted per month.
“All close protection officers are claiming the same number of hours for overtime, per month, which is 100 hours, due to the extraordinary working hours.”
R2 billion for VIP protectors, R1.5 billion for women and children
These huge amounts were put forward by Mchunu two months after he faced backlash over the R2 billion set aside for the VIP Protection Unit in the police budget he tabled in July 2024; R113.6 billion in total for the 2024-2025 financial year. The total allocation for the protection and security services programme was R4 billion.
This means politicians’ protectors would receive more money than the Family Violence and Child Protection Unit, which was was allocated R1.485 billion. As is clear by name, this unit fights gender-based violence and crimes against children.
When the budget was tabled and passed, Gana highlighted that the police as a whole were underfunded, while the politicians’ VIP protectors kept getting more money from the fiscus.
“We are not safe, you are also not safe, that’s why you have protection 24 hours, but South Africans are left to fend for themselves. There are more police officers outside this parliament than there are in police stations. Why do we want to spend R4 billion to protect politicians? Do we need so many bodyguards?
“When South Africans call the police, they are told that there are no vehicles. Is this fair? You are actually saying politicians are unequal to normal South Africans. Please cut the fat from protection services, politicians are not more important than ordinary South Africans,” Gana said in July.
Violent VIP bodyguards
And the VIP Protection Unit is not without scandal.
Last year, Mashatile’s bodyguards were caught on camera assaulting a motorist and another person on the N1 highway in Johannesburg, while brandishing weapons.
Then-minister of police Bheki Cele later claimed – without providing any evidence – that Mashatile was not at the scene and his car had driven ahead.
The VIP protectors, who were suspended by the SAPS – are currently in court facing charges of assault, pointing of a firearm, attempting to defeat the ends of justice and negligent driving.
Do you think South African politicians are over-protected?
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