Senzo Mchunu received more than R3.16 million in compensation according to a parliamentary question-and-answer session while he was on special leave. Firoz Cachalia received a further R3.02 million according to the same calculation while acting as police minister.
Ian Cameron, chairperson of the police portfolio committee, says in a social media post that the two amounts together total approximately R6.19 million, a sum which, according to him, when compared with the police's 2025 base salaries for rehiring experienced detectives, is equivalent to the annual base salaries of approximately 26 constable-level detectives, 20 sergeant-level detectives or 16 captain-level detectives. Mchunu's compensation during his absence alone is according to Cameron approximately equivalent to the annual base salaries of 13 constable-level detectives. He emphasises that these are salary comparisons only and do not represent the full cost of employment.
Cameron further pointed to staffing and vehicle shortages at the Khayelitsha GKS unit, which investigates among other things sexual offences, crimes against children and gender-based violence. According to the information he cited, there were only 21 officers against an identified ideal strength of 43, while 15 of the unit's 38 police vehicles were in the workshop. "R6.19 million will not fix the SAPD, but it certainly shows what the government chooses to find money for," Cameron said.
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This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
