Julius Malema Questions SAPS Spending R368 Million on EFF Event

• The Economic Freedom Fighters' president, Julius Malema, slammed the expenditure of the South African Police Service
• Malema spoke during the testimony of a senior member of the police before the Ad Hoc Committee investigating alleged police corruption
• Malema demanded to know why the police spent over R300 million in deploying members to an EFF rally

Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of Current Affairs, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, cabinet reshuffles, the State of the Nation Address, parliamentary proceedings, and politician-related news, as well as elections, at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.

PRETORIA, GAUTENG — The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) president, Julius Malema, slammed the South African Police Service for reportedly using over R360 million for the EFF National Shutdown in 2023.

General Puleng Dimpane, SAPS' Chief Financial Officer, appeared before the Ad Hoc Committee, which held a sitting at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre on 25 November 2025. The committee was set up at the prison in preparation for the testimony of the attempted murder accused, Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala. The EFF posted a video of the session on its @EFFSouthAfrica X account.

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Malema slams R368 million use

Malema questioned her about the amount of money the SAPS spent during the EFF National Shutdown. Malema said that the EFF National Shutdown cost R368 million. He asked Dimpane which march this was. He said that the EFF protested against former president Jacob Zuma in July 2023.

Dimpane replied that SAPS had to deploy the police to protect South Africans. Malema was dissatisfied with her response. He then asked her to be specific because the EFF only had one shutdown and was flabbergasted that the police spent R368 million. She replied that the cost depended on the number of members deployed.

View the X video here:

2 Briefly News articles about Julius Malema

Malema was unhappy with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) head, Shamila Batohi, when she appeared before the Ad Hoc Committee on 11 November. Batohi said that she had received information from the South African Police Service that a member of the NPA had been involved in a crime. She confirmed that the member was under investigation, but when she refused to divulge the member's name, Malema confronted her.

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Malema also took a swipe at United States President Donald Trump's political style. He criticised him for his refusal to attend the G20 Summit, which took place on 22 and 23 November 2025.

Julius Malema and Khusela Diko clash

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Malema and African National Congress Member of Parliament Khusela Diko clashed over whether Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi should testify. The clash happened during a virtual meeting.

The As Hoc Committee had met to discuss the witness list and the possibility of Mkhwanazi testifying. Diko said that because the Committee did not receive an extension, they may not hear his full testimony. Malema accused her of being Mkhwanazi's accomplice, and they clashed.

Source: Briefly News