Civil rights organisation Action Society has condemned newly appointed police minister Senzo Mchunu’s announcement that he will allocate R2 billion for VIP protection services, saying that ministers prioritise their own safety over South African citizens.
Mchunu recently tabled the R113.6 billion police budget in parliament. The protection and security services programme was allocated R4.09 billion (almost as much as the R4.74 billion for crime intelligence), with VIP protection services taking a 53.1% portion of it – nearly 2% of the entire police budget.
“South Africans fear for their lives everyday with more than 80 people being killed daily and 135 reported rapes. This money should be spent on keeping South Africans safe, not providing ministers luxury special services at the cost of the taxpayer,” said Action Society’s Juanita du Preez.
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