Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has firmly rejected suggestions that the March shooting incident involving Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s convoy is being leveraged to influence African National Congress (ANC) succession debates or to justify increased expenditure on VIP protection services.
Speaking during a National Council of Provinces (NCOP) security cluster session on Tuesday, Mchunu responded to concerns raised by Democratic Alliance MP Nicholas Gotsell, who questioned whether the attack on Mashatile’s blue-light convoy would trigger increased VIP security expenses.
“Don’t create an impression that those problems exist because all the money is used to secure the president and the deputy president,” Mchunu stated, emphasizing that protection allocation decisions follow strict protocols based on formal threat risk assessments rather than political considerations.
The exchange follows the March 30 incident in which shots were reportedly fired at Mashatile’s official vehicle while returning from an ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Boksburg. The incident, which only became public knowledge weeks later, has sparked controversy and skepticism, with ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula revealing the party was never officially informed about the alleged shooting until media reports surfaced.
Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola confirmed the incident is under investigation by a high-level team, with ballistics reports already completed. Mashatile’s spokesperson Keith Khoza said the deputy president initially thought stones had hit the bulletproof vehicle but later realized the damage was consistent with gunfire.
The delayed disclosure has fueled public skepticism, with some suggesting political motivations behind the incident. Criminal justice expert Professor Jéan Steyn from the University of Zululand noted the timing could point to deeper political tensions within the ANC, particularly as Mashatile is widely expected to contest the party presidency in 2027.
Meanwhile, concerns about VIP protection spending continue to mount, with recent parliamentary disclosures revealing that over R160 million was spent on overtime pay for VIP protectors in the 2023-2024 financial year, while the total protection and security services budget stands at R4 billion for 2024-2025.
In a separate but related development, the eight VIP protection officers involved in the widely publicized July 2023 assault of civilians on the N1 highway will return to the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on June 10, 2025, where they face charges of assault, pointing of a firearm, attempting to defeat the ends of justice, and negligent driving.
