The South African Police Service (SAPS) budget has received an increase that has kept pace with inflation, getting an additional R7 billion for the 2025/26 financial year to bring it to R120.8 billion.

This is according to the latest Estimates of National Expenditure (ENEs) released this week following Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s 12 March Budget Vote.

The ENEs revealed that expenditure is expected to increase at an average annual rate of 5.1% (against core inflation of 4.5%), from R113.6 billion in 2024/25 to R120.8 billion in 2025/26, R126.6 billion in 2026/27, and R131.9 billion in 2027/28.

The majority of the police budget goes to paying salaries, with an estimated 80.8% (R398.5 billion) of the department’s budget over the three-year MTEF period allocated to the compensation of employees. The number of personnel in the department is set to increase from 184 106 in 2023/24 to 188 018 in the next three years.

An additional allocation of R5.1 billion over the MTEF period (mostly for cost-of-living adjustments, overtime and goods and services) will provide for additional policing during the 2026 local government elections, improve security during South Africa’s G20 presidency in 2025/26 and build capacity in the newly established Office of the Deputy Minister of Police.

The Visible Policing component of the police budget will receive R202 billion over the next three years while the Detective Services programme is allocated R75.2 billion. These components will be used to combat crime in high-risk areas and gender-based violence and femicide.

The department plans to enhance its data-driven approach to targeting violent crime hotspots. It plans to work closely with community policing forums and provide secure channels for citizens to report criminal activity. This includes strengthening its anti-gang units and conducting intelligence-led operations in affected areas. Hotspot policing will also entail deploying advanced technologies such as remotely piloted aircraft systems, and body and dashboard cameras.

The evidence-based approach will also be central to efforts aimed at reducing gender-based violence and femicide. A key partnership between the department and the National Prosecuting Authority will ensure the expert and expedited processing of forensic evidence associated with prioritised gender-based violence and femicide cases, the ENE document stated.

Addressing corruption, and economic and organised crime

The police department will, according to the ENE document, prioritise alleviating corruption, economic crime and organised crime. In support of the national anti-corruption strategy, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation will focus on investigating serious corruption cases in the public and private sectors. It has set the target for the percentage of trial-ready case dockets for serious corruption in the public and private sectors at 70% each year over the medium term.

As part of broader reforms intended to strengthen South Africa’s capacity to combat financial crime, the department plans to maintain the percentage of serious money laundering investigation case files successfully investigated at 30% per year over the MTEF period. Serious organised crime, including transnational activities such as drug trafficking, will be addressed by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in collaboration with departments in the justice, crime prevention and security cluster.

“To this end, over the medium term, the department plans to bolster its organised crime investigation units to combat local organised crime groups involved in extortion schemes and illicit drug distribution.”

Activities related to fighting corruption, economic crime and organised crime, as well as implementing broader reforms, are carried out through the Detective Services programme. Within this programme’s allocation is a reprioritisation of R150 million in 2025/26 and 2026/27 from various non-core goods and services items for government’s partnership with the private sector on the joint initiative on crime and corruption.

The initiative seeks to enhance the state’s digital and financial forensic capabilities to effectively prevent, investigate and prosecute complex crimes, including money laundering, cybercrime and terrorist financing. In doing so, it aims to implement Financial Action Task Force recommendations 30 and 31, which entail enhancing the functions, responsibilities, powers and tools of law enforcement to conduct investigations into money laundering and the financing of terrorism. This is expected to contribute to the removal of South Africa from the task force’s grey list.