Over 8,000 SAPS funded posts vacant amid calls for recruitment and accountability

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has over 8,000 unfilled posts, with security researcher Willem Els attributing this to poor governance and the lack of consequences. The National Treasury reported that the SAPS spent R2.7 billion on employee compensation and goods and services due to the vacancies, which is 8.3% lower than initially projected.

The SAPS allocated R127 billion for 2026/27, with approximately R102 billion for employee compensation and R19 billion for goods and services. Deputy Director-General Ulrike Britton explained that the slower-than-anticipated spending on compensation was mainly due to the 8,023 vacant funded positions. Britton added that the department planned to hire 11,000 new police trainees, funded primarily from the compensation of employees' baseline and augmented through early retirement savings.

Both delays in implementing pay progression and senior management promotions and lower spending on goods and services, including computer services, contributed to the reduced spending. The Standing Committee on Appropriations expressed disappointment that public finances continue to show no improvement despite the committee's proposals and engagements with the National Treasury throughout the year.

Chairperson Dr. Mmusi Maimane called for urgent intervention following recent killings in and around Ekurhuleni and mass shootings nationwide. Ian Cameron, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, demanded clarity on the figure of 8,000 funded vacancies, questioning whether the vacancies were funded but unfilled or if the shortage had increased since the previous budget.

Els emphasized that the shortage of trained officers would worsen the SAPS's detection rate of 12%, impeding their ability to investigate and prosecute cases effectively.