Hon Chair, despite the budget having increased by 213% in the past 12 years and the service having undergone a myriad of transformative processes, the taxpayers still have to be shown the fruits of the sacrifice. The quality of detective work continues to be substandard, as reflected in the declining number of convictions in our courts against the backdrop of massive investment made in this regard, especially from 2010, followed by the Year of the Detective in 2012.
The number of civil claims against the SAPS has increased by 142% in the past four years, since 2010. This emanates from civil litigation as a result of brutality and illegal arrests. It was reported that of the 2 756 cases reported to the NPA, only 129 ended in convictions, which represent a mere 5% of the total number of those arrested.
The use of police in civil strife, which is political, is therefore beyond the SAPS, and this has not helped its cause either. Service delivery protests are political, deriving from unfulfilled promises. This has resulted in unfortunate massacres in Marikana and other areas with similar afflictions. The EFF cannot support a budget that will continue to produce such outcomes, as we believe only radical economic transformation can resolve these unacceptable social conditions which are the cause of crime. I thank you.