The additional 1500 police officers who were deployed to KwaZulu-Natal since before the May 29 general elections will remain there indefinitely, national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe told IOL on Friday, June 28.
The Public Order Police (POP) members deployed to the province will remain in place until such time that a decision is taken to withdraw them, Mathe said.
“KZN has been relatively stable thus far and this is a direct result of the heightened police visibility and well co-ordinated and executed Provjoints elections plan,” Mathe added.
When asked about the cost of the deployment to KZN, Mathe said, “Police officers are continuously deployed from area to area and time to time – what is being spent is well within the SAPS yearly budget.”
She could not divulge where the officers were staying citing a security threat.
The last deployment was on June 15, 2024 when an additional 400 police officers were sent to KZN bringing the total to 1,500.
At the last deployment of officers, National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola, said that based on intelligence, the situation on the ground was not stable and that it was a precautionary measure.
He said the focus would be on the northern part of KZN.
During the last send-off parade Masemola told police officers, “You are now sent to join your other colleagues in the province.
“Your functions are simple; you do what the Constitution requires you to do, and prevent and combat crime.”
IOL News