Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has defended the more than R600 million spent on the June 30 policing operation, saying the deployment prevented greater destruction and protected South Africa’s security.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has defended the more than R600 million spent on the police operation during the June 30 protests, saying the deployment was necessary to prevent a repeat of past violent unrest.
Speaking during an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration media briefing on Sunday, Cachalia said the funding came entirely from the existing police budget. He explained that the money was used to mobilise resources needed to respond to a potential security threat, including calling up reservists, paying overtime, and accommodating police officers deployed across the country.
"There have been a lot of questions about the cost of police action on June the 30th," Cachalia said.
He noted that while the focus of the previous briefing had been on preventing a possible violent shutdown, public questions had since shifted toward concerns about strengthening law enforcement and addressing challenges related to vigilantism and groups allegedly fuelling tensions.
