Taxpayers spend R160 million on overtime for VIP security of South African politicians

More than R160 million was spent on overtime pay for the security teams protecting President Cyril Ramaphosa, Deputy President Paul Mashatile, and other top South African politicians during 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 Makashule Gana.

And this amount was a decrease on the preceding financial year’s figure. In 2022-2023, members of the South African Police Service’s (SAPS’) VIP Protection Unit raked in just under R200 million.

“The total amount in overtime that the SA Police Service paid to VIP Protection officers for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 financial years is R198,045,844 and R161,885,074, respectively,” answered Mchunu.

The minister also added that 100 hours was the 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 the name indicates, 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 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 of the VIP convoy.

The VIP protector – who were later 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.