Saps budget for Crime Intelligence social media team tops R5.9m, with manager paid R1.06m

The South African Police Service (Saps) has advertised a 12-member social media team within its Crime Intelligence division with combined annual remuneration of at least R5.9 million, according to The Citizen.

Roles, ranks and salary bands

According to The Citizen, the advertised posts link salary bands to the ranks required. The Citizen reports the advertisement includes:

• Six social media officer posts for warrant officers at salary level 7, each valued at R385 000 per year.
• Three upper-tier social media officer posts for captains carrying an annual salary of R480 000 each over R1.4 million combined, The Citizen says.
• Two social media supervisor posts requiring the rank of lieutenant colonel, each at an annual level 10 remuneration package of R600 000, The Citizen reports.
• The most senior post is a lone social media manager requiring the rank of colonel, at a level 12 salary notch with an annual remuneration package of R1.06 million before deductions, according to The Citizen.

Application window and team total

The Citizen reports the closing date for applications is 30 July. Once appointed, the combined salaries of the 12 members of the Crime Intelligence social media team will exceed the amount allocated last year for Gauteng’s community safety department, The Citizen says.

Wider budget context

In the same report, the newspaper quoted a provincial figure: Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s written response stated that R3.8 million was allocated during the 2025-26 financial year to the anti-gang unit within visible policing in Gauteng. The source also records that acting police minister Firoz Cachalia confirmed in his May budget speech that Saps had been allocated R127 billion for the 2026-27 financial year.

On the role of crime intelligence

“Effective crime intelligence is necessary to fight organised crime; it must identify threats early, infiltrate organised criminal networks, prevent violent crime and guide operational deployments,” Cachalia said, as quoted in the source material.

The advertisement and those budget figures underline the service’s stated emphasis on strengthening crime intelligence capacity, particularly its communications and social media functions.

What was reported by The Citizen

The salary figures and the structure of the 12 advertised posts summarised above are reported by The Citizen.