The suspension of 233 police members between April 2024 and October 2025 has cost taxpayers more than R25m in salaries.
This was confirmed by acting police minister Firoz Cachalia in a written reply to parliament after a question by Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana.
Gana asked for the number of officers suspended during the 2024/25 financial year and since April 1 2025; the ranks of those suspended; the reasons for their suspension; the salaries paid while on suspension; and the number of officers implicated in criminal activity.
Cachalia responded that 149 officers were suspended in 2024/25 and 84 more between April and October 2025, with annexures setting out the ranks, charges and salary costs.
The reply confirmed that 185 officers were suspended on suspicion of criminal activity in the period, with an average of 83 cases per province.
The most common charges were assault (often arising during arrests), but the annexures also record allegations of theft, fraud, corruption, rape, murder, attempted murder, extortion, robbery, kidnapping, hijacking and possession of unlicensed firearms.
Senior officers, including lieutenant-generals and major-generals, were among those suspended, with reasons ranging from failure to comply with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate Act to abuse of power and maladministration.
The financial implications are significant.
Millions in salaries
Salaries continued to be paid during suspension, amounting to R13.1m in 2024/25 and R12.1m in the seven months to October 2025.
This brings the total cost to more than R25m in just 19 months, adding to earlier disclosures that 163 suspended officers in 2023/24 cost the state more than R8m.
Separate replies have revealed that individual senior officers, including lieutenant-generals, have drawn millions in salaries while suspended for extended periods, with one case exceeding R3.4m since 2022.
The continuation of full pay during suspension is mandated by labour law and constitutional provisions on fair employment practices, but it has become a recurring point of contention in parliament.
Fiscal impact
The portfolio committee on police has repeatedly raised concerns about the fiscal impact of prolonged suspensions, noting that unresolved disciplinary cases undermine accountability and operational capacity.
In June 2025, then police minister Senzo Mchunu confirmed to MPs that taxpayers had already spent more than R5m on just 11 suspended officers, prompting renewed debate about the efficiency of the police’s disciplinary processes.
Critics, including members of the portfolio committee and civil society watchdogs, argue that protracted disciplinary processes — often delayed by internal investigations and court proceedings — result in substantial fiscal leakage while leaving operational gaps in policing capacity.
The annexures show that misconduct spans administrative contraventions and serious violent crimes, raising questions about vetting, oversight and the adequacy of internal disciplinary mechanisms.
Staff shortages
The cost dimension is particularly acute given the police’s broader resource constraints. The portfolio committee has repeatedly noted staff shortages exceeding 11,000 posts nationwide, with attrition in detective services and crime intelligence units directly affecting the ability to investigate and prosecute crime.
Taxpayers are therefore funding salaries of officers who are not performing duties, while operational units remain underresourced.
The suspension of senior officers also undermines command stability, with provincial commissioners required to reallocate responsibilities while disciplinary matters remain unresolved.
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