Government

R306 million national shutdown in South Africa

Staff Writer

 ·28 Aug 2026

The 30 June protests cost South Africa roughly R306 million in deploying the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The protests on 30 June 2026 were organised by anti-illegal-immigration groups such as March and March and were held across the country.

The protests came after anti-immigration groups set a deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country before 30 June 2026.

The planned protests sparked fears of violence across the country, prompting a response from the SAPS, which allocated R600 million to peacekeeping operations on the day.

In a recent parliamentary response, acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said that R306 million had been spent of the original R600 million budget.

The R306 million cost of deployments was driven by overtime expenses, accommodation costs, and travel budgets, as well as remuneration for reservists called up on the day.

Cachalia said, “As per the latest available information, expenditure to the amount of R 306 208 477 was incurred by the SAPS in respect of the deployments for the event on 30 June 2026.”

The highest additional cost for policing on the day was overtime payments to SAPS members, which totalled roughly R252 million.

The second-highest expense was for travel and subsistence allowances, which cost the SAPS approximately R49 million.

The lowest cost was accommodation, which was aided by SAPS not paying accommodation providers directly.

For SAPS members stationed away from their normal workplaces, the police service did not directly pay for accommodation.

Instead, SAPS members paid for their own accommodations and were reimbursed by the department, so the police service did not pay service providers directly.

Breakdown of policing costs for 30 June protests

Cost by province

In his parliamentary response, Cachalia provided a breakdown of the costs of policing the 30 June protests for each province.

The province with the highest expenditure was KwaZulu-Natal, where the largest organising group for the demonstrations, March and March, originates.

March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma was originally a radio presenter in Durban before founding the anti-illegal immigration group.

March and March also organised several large protests in Durban, leading up to the demonstration held in the city on 30 June 2026.

Police expenditure for the 30 June protests in KwaZulu-Natal totalled approximately R57.6 million, with the second-highest being the Eastern Cape at R51.8 million.

The R306 million in expenditure is slightly over half of what the SAPS allocated to policing the 30 June protests.

Cachalia said the remaining money would be reallocated to policing efforts for the upcoming local government elections in November.

“Any remaining balance will be utilised to support preparatory and operational requirements associated with the forthcoming Local Government Elections, including expenditure on fuel and vehicle maintenance to enhance operational visibility,” he said.

He also said the SAPS is in the process of finalising outstanding claims for reservist remuneration and other expenses.

“The South African Police Service is currently in the process of finalising outstanding claims relating to the remuneration of reservists, overtime payments and travel claims,” he said.

30 June protest expenditure by province