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The South African Police Service (SAPS) has spent over R42,67 million on petrol and diesel over the past six years purely for its VIP Protection fleet.

According to the Minister’s response, the National VIP Protection Centre in Gauteng was the biggest spender in 2023/24, filling up their VIP transport fleet with over R2,2 million worth of fuel, more than double than the second highest spender.  The second biggest abuser of public funds is Mpumalanga, clocked in at over R1,1 million for the year.

While South Africans are suffering from crushing cost of living, including higher fuel prices, ANC VIP cadres take the taxpayers for a ride without having to put their hands in their pockets.

Just recently, the ANC increased the SAPS VIP Protection allocation in the mid-term budget by over R52 million.  In fact, the budget allocation for these services has increased by over 25% over the last five years.  Other SAPS spending programmes were not so lucky, with Crime Intelligence Operations increasing only by 11,5%, and the entire Crime Prevention programme by a dismal 12,4%.

It is not only the national ANC government that has been dipping its hands into the taxpayer’s purse, in the City of Johannesburg, which is in the grip of a major water crisis, the ANC/EFF/PA-led doomsday coalition has forced through a R3 million monthly spending bump in their last budget to provide even more bodyguards and flashy cars to the mayor, the speaker, and their cadres.

A DA-led government will slash these costs and reallocate much-needed funds to government projects that South Africans need most. Additional resources will be freed up by slashing the bloated SAPS middle millionaire management, who make no contribution to fighting crime.  By building a new culture of government, based on excellence, transparency, and accountability to the people, the DA promises to deliver a professional administration and an independent public service that delivers to all, and not just the elite and connected few.

The disproportionate funding to SAPS VIP protection proves that the ANC only cares about protecting their own politically connected cadres, rather than the people of South Africa who fear becoming one of the 85 people who are murdered or the 169 people who are sexually assaulted, every single day.

It is time we remove the ANC who would rather focus on VIP protection than its murder rate, we have a Minister who cares more about his media appearances than visible policing and detectives.  It is high time that we rid ourselves of this manipulating government and vote for the DA to rescue South Africa.

Issued by Andrew Whitfield MP - DA Shadow Minister of Police