South African taxpayers have spent at least R5.8 million on Police Minister Senzo Mchunu's remuneration and legal fees while he remains on special leave. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia confirmed that the state has paid R2.7 million towards Mchunu's legal costs, in addition to the more than R3.1m he received in remuneration between July 14, 2025, and August 31 this year. This expenditure has been criticized as "absolutely reckless" by critics, who argue that the money could instead be used to strengthen frontline policing.
President Cyril Ramaphosa placed Mchunu on special leave a week after KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made public allegations of political interference, ties to criminal syndicates, and an attempt to disband the Political Killings Task Team. Mchunu has denied the allegations. The president appointed Cachalia as acting police minister, entitling him to the same remuneration and benefits as Mchunu. Cachalia earned just over R3m between August 1, 2025, and August 31, 2026.
The figures emerged in a written response to DA MP Ian Cameron, who asked whether the state was funding Mchunu's legal representation and how much had been spent. Mchunu appointed Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, one of the country's highly regarded senior advocates, to his legal team when he appeared before the Madlanga Commission in December. Cachalia said Mchunu's legal costs were being funded in accordance with the State Legal Representation Policy of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.
The policy provides for legal representation for state employees, members of the judiciary, and members of the executive in respect of acts and/or omissions committed in the course and scope of their employment or official duties. Cachalia confirmed the R2.7m figure as the amount paid to date, stating that the amount approved or committed for ongoing legal representation remained subject to the department's relevant administrative, legal, and financial management processes.
Cameron described the expenditure as "absolutely reckless," saying it amounted to negligent spending of taxpayers' money. He argued that President Cyril Ramaphosa could have relieved Senzo Mchunu of his Cabinet position more than a year ago, allowing him to remain an ordinary Member of Parliament while the various processes continued. Instead, he chose to retain Mchunu as a paid minister while appointing Firoz Cachalia to perform his duties.
The combined remuneration of the two ministers and Mchunu's legal fees amounted to about R8.9m by the end of August 2026, according to Cameron. He cited staffing shortages at the Khayelitsha Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit, where his committee found just 21 officials against an identified ideal strength of 43, leaving a shortfall of 22 personnel. This highlighted the need for proper allocation of funds to frontline investigative capacity.
Cosatu parliamentary co-ordinator Matthew Parks welcomed the shift by the Madlanga Commission towards taking action while its work continued, saying the sooner efforts to clean up the police and other law enforcement agencies were concluded, the better. However, he also expressed concern about the allocation of funds, stating that every bit of rand and cents could rather be utilised to go and hire skilled police officers, as opposed to paying for two ministers and two deputy ministers.
Key points
- Taxpayers have spent at least R5.8 million on Police Minister Senzo Mchunu's remuneration and legal fees while he remains on special leave.
- The expenditure has been criticized as "absolutely reckless" by critics, who argue that the money could instead be used to strengthen frontline policing.
- The combined remuneration of the two ministers and Mchunu's legal fees amounted to about R8.9m by the end of August 2026.
