Taxpayers bear R1.2m cost for police presence during Malema's sentencing
South African taxpayers covered over R1.2 million in policing costs during the sentencing of EFF leader Julius Malema. The government defended the expenditure as a necessary measure to maintain public order and ensure court proceedings remained uninterrupted.
Why it matters
It highlights the financial burden of high-profile political trials and the state's responsibility in managing public security during civil unrest.
A whopping R1.2m — that is what taxpayers paid for policing in KuGompo City over the two days Julius Malema was sentenced to five years in prison for firing a rifle at an EFF rally.
Police even brought in officers from other provinces.
The figure was disclosed by acting police minister Firoz Cachalia in a written reply to a parliamentary question.
He was answering EFF MP and party treasurer-general Omphile Maotwe, who asked why so many officers were put outside the court in KuGompo City (formerly East London), on April 15 and 16.
She also asked whether members had been called in from other provinces, what the operation cost, and how many people it led to arresting.
The total came to R1,214,961.96, or just over R600,000 a day.
Cachalia said the police had a constitutional duty to keep the peace and protect the public.
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