Cape Town – The South African Police Service (SAPS) paid R115.57 million in salaries and other remuneration to 767 members who faced criminal charges between April 2025 and August 2026, raising fresh questions about accountability and disciplinary processes within the police service.
According to Newsday, Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia disclosed the figures in response to a parliamentary question from National Assembly member Crossby Shongwe.
Cachalia said 177 SAPS members were criminally charged during the period for offences covered by Shongwe’s question. Of these, 118 were charged with corruption, while 59 faced charges of defeating the ends of justice.
“Of these 177 members, 118 were charged with corruption and 59 with defeating the ends of justice,” Cachalia said.
He added that no SAPS members were charged during the period with organised crime, drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping or protecting criminal syndicates.
The broader figures show that 629 members faced disciplinary proceedings between 1 April 2025 and 31 August 2026. Sixty were placed on precautionary suspension, while 36 were dismissed and 19 left the service before disciplinary proceedings could begin.
Serious misconduct
Cachalia also revealed that 427 police members remained on active duty and continued receiving remuneration while disciplinary proceedings were pending.
The latest disclosure follows earlier concerns over the cost of keeping police officers accused of serious misconduct on the state payroll. In January, SABC News reported that more than R25 million had been paid to 233 suspended SAPS officers facing charges including rape, corruption and hijacking.
RISE Mzansi’s Makashule Gana at the time called for disciplinary processes to be accelerated, saying: “Part of this has just been, let’s call it the culture within SAPS, of not wanting to speed up the disciplinary processes within. They drag for too long.”
EWN also reported calls for urgent reform, with Public Service Commission chairperson Professor Somadoda Fikeni describing the prolonged suspension system as a “haemorrhaging of public resources” and saying: “This is untenable. In fact, it’s quite a disaster.”
Lifestyle reviews
Meanwhile, Cachalia said SAPS was using lifestyle reviews, investigations and audits to identify unexplained wealth, conflicts of interest, fraud and corruption among its members.
“Where anomalies or unexplained discrepancies are identified, lifestyle investigations are conducted,” he said, according to Newsday
The figures come as SAPS faces wider scrutiny over corruption and alleged criminal infiltration.
In May, Cachalia acknowledged that the service was affected by “systemic corruption”, while saying those responsible were being held accountable, Government of South Africa reported.
The latest revelations are likely to intensify calls for SAPS to conclude disciplinary and criminal cases more swiftly, particularly where officers remain operational and continue to draw public funds while facing serious allegations.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
