R600m security allocation for 30 June protest draws calls for full breakdown

Government spending of R600 million to bolster security ahead of the planned 30 June anti-immigration protest has been criticised by lawmakers and independent experts, who are demanding a detailed breakdown of the allocation and how it will be used.

Lawmakers demand transparency

Ian Cameron, chair of the portfolio committee on police, described the amount as “extraordinary” and said the public must be given a full explanation of the funding. He said citizens cannot simply be told that hundreds of millions will be spent without detail on procurement, deployed units, the operational period covered and the controls in place to prevent waste or abuse.

“There is a legitimate need for the South African Police Service (Saps) to prepare properly for any protest that may carry a risk of violence and public disorder. However, the need for readiness does not remove the obligation to account for the cost,” Cameron said.

Questions about necessity and planning

Cameron said the portfolio committee expects Saps and the department to account for the allocation and wants answers to who approved the amount, which budget line will cover it, what exactly it will be spent on, whether it will affect normal policing elsewhere and what safeguards exist to prevent procurement abuse.

He argued that if lessons from the July 2021 unrest had been properly learned, Saps would not need to mobilise more than R600 million for a special operation, adding that “preparedness is cheaper than panic” and that intelligence-led policing is less costly than emergency mobilisation.

Possible operational costs listed

Cameron listed items that additional operational expenditure might include, saying any extra allocation must be justified. Those items included:

• overtime
• travel and subsistence
• fuel
• vehicles
• public order policing equipment
• air support
• intelligence coordination
• logistics and command centres
• deployment costs and support from other law-enforcement structures

Independent experts call for justification

Witness Maluleke, senior criminologist at the University of Limpopo, said channeling a large sum to a temporary circumstance “is not a good decision” and questioned Saps’ capacity to police the looming unrest. He said many regard Saps officials as incompetent and lacking the capacity to do so.

Mike Bolhuis, an investigator specialising in serious violent, economic and cybercrime, also said the public should be told what the money will be spent on. He warned that the day could either pass quietly or “totally flare up” and said the solution lies in communication, proper planning and a project with appropriate infrastructure.

“So, in my opinion, the possibility is there that this day can come and go, but there is also a possibility that it can totally flare up,” Bolhuis said.

Next steps

The portfolio committee plans to seek explanations from Saps and the department on the allocation and will engage the finance ministry on budgetary reforms to promote intelligence-led policing, according to Cameron.

Reporting published on 24 June 2026.