In the 2023/24 financial year the SA Police Service (SAPS) forked out R506 947 589 to settle claims against it for wrongful arrest and/or injury in police custody.

This amount is made up of claims for arrest and detention (5 533 claims) as well as assault (125 claims), Stanford Gana, representing Rise Mzanzi in the National Assembly (NA), was told by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu in response to a parliamentary question.

In 2023/24, the SAPS received 15 239 claims against it, and settled 6 381, equating to a 42% successful claim rate.

In the previous financial year (2022/23) claims totalling R558 058 762.14 were settled by the SAPS (4 550 cases of arrest and detention and 82 cases of assault). The successful claim rate for that year was just about the same at 41.8%.

For 2021/22, the SAPS spent R357 million settling 3 830 cases of arrest and detention and 65 cases of assault. This is up from 2020/21, when over R243 million was spent settling 3 303 cases of arrest and detention and 74 of assault.

In none of the pay-outs was money put into a claimant’s account. Minister Mchunu’s reply has it “payment is effected to the trust account of the plaintiff’s attorney”.