Sunday, February 16, 2025

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OUTA wants Godongwana to allocate more funds for the criminal justice system

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As Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana announces South Africa’s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) today, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has called for more funding allocated to the criminal justice system, including the South African Police Service (SAPS).

“It is our desire to see the reduction of budgets in unnecessary spending areas such as VIP protection for ministers and blue-light brigades and, instead, to see more funds assigned to the various sectors within the criminal justice system such as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), SAPS, Special Investigating Unit (SIU), SARS and institutions like the Public Protector and the Auditor-General,” OUTA said in a statement ahead of Godongwana’s budget speech.

“Across all fronts and levels of responsible leadership in South Africa, the issue of corruption and organised crime is commonly regarded as a crisis and a hindrance to economic growth, and yet we don’t get a sense that government is prioritising the spending of our limited resources wisely enough to address this crisis.”

Over the past five years, OUTA pointed out that the NPA’s budget has not grown sufficiently enough to address its need, moving from R4.009 billion in 2019/20 to R5.889 billion in 2024/25. While this is an increase of 47% over five years, this started from an extremely low base and the NPA faces a massive and complex workload with the entrenchment of corruption and the growth in organised crime. This is an entity which still needs rebuilding and strengthening with experts. The NPA underfunding becomes even more apparent when noting that its budget includes funding the Asset Forfeiture Unit (R824 million) and the Investigating Directorate (R939 million), key institutions in the battle against state capture and grand corruption.

“The NPA needs significant resources. We note that the VIP Protection Services receives R2.177 billion, which we believe is massively over-resourced at the expense of essentials such as the NPA,” OUTA said.

The organisation added that the SIU limps along with just R450 million a year, but must provide professional forensic investigating and litigation services to all state institutions. “In theory, those institutions pay for its services, however the reality is different. The Presidency spends more on administration (R533 million), and the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources spends massively more on Mining, Minerals and Energy Policy (R1.200 billion) despite the apparent ongoing failure of this policy.”

As for the police, OUTA said the SAPS needs help, not necessarily more money although extra police on the street are always welcome, but a strategy for addressing the dysfunction that left South Africa with a police service utterly unable to respond to the July 2021 violence, and only slowly now starting to regard extortion – an aspect of organised crime – as a crime.

“This overhaul needs building into the medium-term strategy, and should include a strategy addressing the very expensive and failed Crime Intelligence unit (6 074 officers) and the well-padded Protection and Security Services (8 801 officers). Compare these staffing numbers to the SANDF’s Maritime Defence (5 870 staff) and Defence Intelligence (1 055 staff), or the NPA (6 618 staff).”

The limited resources for the Public Protector, OUTA said, sends a clear message of disrespect for the protection of the public from the abuse of authority. “The Public Protector receives a miniscule R352 million, which means it is unable to increase its staff complement as it would like to do.”

OUTA said it believes that for every R1 billion invested in effective rebuilding of structures that drive a concerted effort in the fight against corruption, South Africa could see ten times that amount as a return in higher tax collections, in more excise duties by challenging illicit trading, and in improved business confidence which will result in the growth of tax revenue and employment.

“It makes so much sense for the Minister of Finance to beef up all areas that tackle improved transparency and accountability, in order to begin to restore social justice and grow the economy,” said Wayne Duvenage, OUTA CEO.

“We hope to see more measured steps being taken to control the use of the equitable share grant funding to municipalities, with stricter consequences for failed service delivery, and ensuring that the funds don’t merely flow into the hands of corrupt syndicates.”

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