Taxpayers to shell out R4 billion for VIP blue light brigades

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia revealed that his department plans to spend over R4 billion on VIP and static protection in the 2026/27 financial year. 

This money will be spent on the Protection and Security Services (PSS) and Presidential Protection Services (PPS) capabilities for the President, ministers, deputies, and international dignitaries.

The R4.06 billion projected expenditure for 2026/27 is significantly more than the R2.5 billion spent in the 2025/26 financial year so far, and the R3.7 billion spent in 2024/25.

This was revealed by Cachalia in response to a Parliamentary question from Action SA MP Alan Beesley, who asked the minister for a breakdown of VIP and static protection costs for politicians.

In response, Cachalia revealed that the state projects expenditure of R2.46 billion for VIP protection and R1.60 billion for static protection in 2026/27.

Sometimes referred to as politicians’ “blue-light brigades”, these VIP protection services have often been the target of severe criticism in South Africa.

For example, Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse CEO Wayne Duvenhage previously pointed out that, in 2023, South Africa allocated more to these VIP protection services for politicians than to the Hawks.

“What gives them the right to put those blue lights on and behave as if everybody must move out of their way?” Duvenage asked. “We’ve got to start asking ourselves what we are spending this money on.”

Sygnia co-founder and CEO Magda Wierzycka also previously criticised the government’s spending on VIP protection, calling it “absurd” and “highly questionable”.

“If you just cut the budget in half, you would have about R1 billion to protect people who are trying – in their own, individual capacity – to protect South Africa,” she said.

Wierzycka argued that the money could be better used to protect whistleblowers, in particular.

Executive bloat

South Africans’ criticisms regarding VIP protection spending are often linked to concerns regarding the country’s large executive branch, which is one of the largest in the world.

With around 75 members, South Africa’s executive far exceeds those of economic giants like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

In 2019, the Department of Public Service and Administration submitted a report to the President calling for a reduction in the size of his Cabinet.

In response, President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the problem and pledged to trim down the executive.

However, South Africa’s cabinet has only grown under Ramaphosa’s leadership, and now includes 32 ministers and 43 deputy ministers.

Despite criticism of what many consider to be a bloated cabinet and his previous pledge, Ramaphosa most recently said he does not intend to reduce or eliminate cabinet positions like deputy ministers.

The President said deputy ministers have played an important role since the advent of South Africa’s democracy in 1994 and assist ministers in performing their functions and responsibilities.

In addition, he explained that the formation of a Government of National Unity following the 2024 May election necessitated a larger cabinet.

“We have sought to ensure that the National Executive is representative of the people of South Africa, giving due consideration to gender, youth, demographics and regional distribution,” he said.

Outside of operational efficiency concerns, many critics of South Africa’s “bloated” cabinet have raised the alarm over the associated costs of having such a large executive branch.

In 2023, the then-shadow minister for public service and administration in the DA, Leon Schreiber, revealed that the country’s large cabinet is costing taxpayers billions.

He said ministers and deputy ministers employed 624 personal staff members, costing taxpayers R1.9 billion since Ramaphosa took office in February 2018.

He added that ministers and deputy ministers live in 97 state-owned mansions in Pretoria and Cape Town worth nearly R1 billion.