The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) notes with serious concern the announcement by Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia that the South African Police Service (SAPS) will spend more than R600 million on security deployments ahead of the planned protests scheduled for 30 June 2026. According to the Minister, the operation will cost the South African taxpayer in excess of R600 million as government prepares for nationwide demonstrations.
The EFF wishes to state unequivocally that while the state has a constitutional obligation to ensure public safety, protect lives and property, and prevent violence during public demonstrations, this responsibility cannot become a blank cheque for reckless and excessive expenditure.
South Africa is confronted by an unprecedented crime crisis. Communities live under siege from violent criminals, gender-based violence continues unabated, police stations are under-resourced, detectives lack the tools necessary to solve crimes, and millions of South Africans remain trapped in poverty and unemployment. Yet whenever there is a political protest, government suddenly discovers hundreds of millions of Rands for extraordinary deployments and security operations. This wasteful expenditure follows a disturbing pattern. South Africans will recall that SAPS previously disclosed that it spent R368 million on deployments related to the EFF’s peaceful National Shutdown of 20 March 2023. The state justified that expenditure on the basis of exaggerated fears and alarmist predictions, yet the shutdown did not result in the catastrophic collapse that government and its allies sought to portray.
The EFF further cautions against the increasing securitisation of social and political issues. Government cannot continue to treat every protest as though it is a national security emergency requiring military-style operations and extraordinary expenditure. Particularly when they have already responded very poorly to the vigilantism that has already occurred with these groups, and the lack of institutional response to dealing with the real causes of the issue of migration in the country.
The EFF further rejects the assumption that massive police deployments automatically translate into public safety. The history of policing in South Africa demonstrates that the presence of heavily armed security forces has often served to escalate tensions rather than de-escalate them. In many instances, the police have either stood by while vulnerable communities faced harassment and violence, or have themselves become agents of unnecessary force and repression.
The history of protest policing in South Africa is littered with examples where aggressive police tactics have intensified confrontations and resulted in injury and loss of life, rather than promoting peaceful resolutions. Additionally, the threat Minister Cachalia to bring in the SANDF should they need to, is incredibly worrying and poses a large danger as soldiers are not equipped nor mandated to deal with civilians. The EFF therefore calls on SAPS and the Ministry of Police to publicly disclose a full breakdown of the projected R600 million expenditure, including the costs associated with personnel, overtime, logistics, intelligence operations, equipment and intergovernmental coordination.
The EFF has a youth wing called the EFF Youth Command.
Rosie Bird
Switzerland: You have two cows. Neither belong to you.
Red Pepper
Van der Merwe is approached by SANRAL one day who want to build a new highway through his donkey farm. Van is really concerned with how his donkeys can get from one side of the farm to the other without having to cross the highway and risk being injured or killed. He is promised that they will build bridges the highway so that his donkeys can cross under the highway. Van agrees and gives them the go-ahead.
The highway is built and a year later the same rep goes to the farm to go see how Van and his donkeys are. He eventually finds Van under one of these bridges chipping away at the roof of the tunnel with a hammer and chisel.
\”Mnr Van de Merwe, what are you doing damaging the highway bridge?\”