S/Africa opposition slams ‘wasteful’ expenditure at BRICS summit

By Mark Ogagan

South Africa’s opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA) says it is outraged that the South African Police Service (SAPS) spent R75 million protecting delegates of the three-day BRICS summit while ordinary South Africans are left to be murdered, raped, robbed, kidnapped and trafficked 365 days of the year.

The BRICS summit was held between 22 and 24 August at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, attended by heads of states.

Delmaine Christians MP – Member of the NCOP says a total of 5,234 SAPS members were also deployed during the summit and 726 SAPS vehicles were utilized.

“The revelation of excessive police resources directed towards securing the BRICS summit were revealed in a parliamentary reply from Police Minister Bheki Cele, just days after news broke that South Africa now ranks 7th in the world out of 193 countries for mafia-style criminal networks and organized crime syndicates. This is according to the 2023 Global Organized Crime Index (GOCI),” MP Christians said.

“It is unacceptable that scarce police resources had to be splurged on a controversial event that is used to drive the agenda of the ANC and not address the best interests of South Africans.”

She argued that the expenditure of the country’s policing budget on the summit will not only have little economic benefit for the country but will more likely worsen instability and security issues, given the further expansion of BRICS into authoritarian states with a tendency to operate outside the internationally established rule of law.
“Cele and the ANC government’s willingness to so easily forego the protection of ordinary citizens and instead transform the incapacitated and under-resourced police service into a VIP protection service for delegates from countries that include amongst them mafia-states, is a direct indication of the absolute disregard that the ANC has for the safety and protection of South Africans,” she criticised.

“For as long as the ANC remains in power, the prioritization of organized international networks will continue to threaten our democracy and our safety,” she concluded.