A recent parliamentary inquiry led by Build One South Africa (Bosa) has revealed the police service’s budgetary challenge.

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu verified the statistics, which is evidence of the misallocation of important resources. A lieutenant general who has been allegedly paid in full since July 2022, earning R3,4 million, and another lieutenant general who was suspended in June 2025 has made about R1.1 million. 

Mchunu said earlier this year a number of sergeants and constables were suspended with compensation ranging from R35,000 to R56,000. The report highlights continuing internal disciplinary procedures inside the police force, although it does not specify the reasons for these suspensions or the overall number of personnel involved.

This large amount spent on suspended police officers occurs at a time when crime is on the rise.

Ongoing unemployment

Investigating crimes and pursuing justice are directly hampered by the thousands of empty detective positions that Bosa has repeatedly highlighted as part of a nationwide detective shortage.

The need for “the allocation of adequate resources, equipment, and vehicles to investigators” stated Bosa recently, is in line with the rising urgency of places where criminal activity is common.

Meanwhile, reports from the Portfolio Committee as highlighted by ProtectionWeb in December 2024, detail a police service grappling with critical understaffing and dilapidated infrastructure. The committee suggested that the police “should prioritise recruitment to fill the skills gaps in specialised  units and consider reviewing the retirement age of officers to retain experienced personnel.”

According to Bosa, this reveals a deeper failure of leadership and accountability at the highest levels of the police, and a culture that tolerates delayed disciplinary action.

Bosa has called for urgent action from the police service for the disciplinary case finalisation for suspended officers as well as quarterly transparency reports on police suspensions and associated costs.

OFM News dg