Budget cuts threaten South Africa's police force and public safety

If South Africans think the country's crime situation is going to improve, they must think again, warned experts, as the South African Police budget shrank by 9% from R125 billion in 2024 to R113.6 billion in 2025.

This issue was brought into perspective by KwaZulu‑Natal Provincial Police Commissioner Lt‑Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who attributed the increased crime rate to the lack of personnel within the SAPS. Mkhwanazi reasoned that, due to unions demanding higher wages for their members, it impacted staff numbers and ultimately recruitment efforts.

“We have less police officers in KZN, but our population is increasing and unfortunately the number of officers continues to decrease,” Mkhwanazi lamented.

“If we don’t have a person in an area, we must have a camera that will serve as our eyes. We moved from twenty-five thousand employees to fifteen thousand employees.” Mkhwanazi tied rising unemployment rates to escalated crime levels, emphasising the urgent need for an adequately funded police department.

Security expert Willem Els from the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) reiterated the dire lack of resources. "The budget is not enough for day-to-day policing," he asserted, describing how many rural stations languish without proper vehicles and adequate personnel.

Els said much of the funding appears wasted on VIP protection units, which takes away crucial frontline resources from tackling everyday crime. “A lot of the budget is directed to the VIP unit. Even the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) does not get enough funding,” he said.

Zwelinzima Vavi, General Secretary of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), argued that the current budget reflected systemic austerity measures that threaten public safety.

“Our democracy cannot rest on an under-resourced force whose size is only 50% of what international standards deem minimally acceptable,” he said. The stark reality is that the burgeoning private security industry now boasts over 2.7 million registered guards, overshadowing police and military combined.

“This shift reflects a stark reality: only the wealthy can afford protection,” Vavi said, voicing concerns for the working class and informal settlements left dangerously exposed to crime.

"Saftu is calling for immediate and substantial investment in SAPS. “Our policing budgets must be urgently restored to meet population growth and service demands,” he said.

Trade union COSATU has since condemned Mkhwanazi's about wage demands

DAILY NEWS