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.
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