The South African Police Service (SAPS) Very Important Person (VIP) Protection Unit has made overtime payments totalling R359 930 918 to its officers over the previous two financial years.
The payments were revealed in a parliamentary reply from Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu to Rise Mzansi Chief Whip Makashule Gana, who additionally enquired which Ministers or Ministries had officers claiming the most overtime. Mchunu did not respond to the second question, but did reveal that Close Protection officers “are claiming the same number of hours for overtime, per month, which is 100 hours, due to the extra-ordinary working hours.”
The total amount in overtime paid by SAPS to VIP protection officers for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years is R 198 045 844.00 and R 161 885 074.00, respectively.
In a statement released by Gana, he stated that with the current size of cabinet, which includes 34 Ministers and 38 Deputy Ministers, “it is inevitable that during the current term of office, the SAPS VIP Protection Unit overtime bill will increase sharply.”
Gana further called on Mchunu to “work with his Public Service and Administration, and Treasury colleagues to find a remuneration model that does not revolve around overtime.”
“The primary role of the State and the SAPS is to keep the people of South Africa safe, therefore, resources should be used to achieve this; but seemingly, keeping politicians safe is prioritised at the expense of keeping the people safe.”
In a social media post, Gana commented on the overtime payments, saying “R360 million paid for overtime to keep politicians safe whilst South Africans have to fend for themselves.”
