Democratic Alliance (DA)
By Lerato Mpembe
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Johannesburg has called for the city’s VIP protection budget to be redirected towards providing essential services to residents. This follows a ruling by the Johannesburg High Court declaring the city’s VIP protection policy unconstitutional and invalid.
The court found that municipal officials were receiving excessive security without proper threat assessments. Under the policy, the Executive Mayor was allocated ten bodyguards, the Speaker eight, and members of mayoral committees and committee chairpersons between two and five.
DA Johannesburg Caucus Leader, Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku, welcomed the judgment, stating, “The judgment is suspended until February 14, 2025, providing the city with time to provide threat and risk analysis justifying this ridiculous expense. We are not holding our breath for those as they failed to provide them for over a year, and the DA has always maintained that money should be spent on residents and not expensive bodyguards for politicians.”
Background
On January 2, 2025, High Court Judge Stuart Wilson ruled that Johannesburg’s VIP protection policy, which provided excessive security to municipal officials without proper threat assessments, violated South African law. The policy, adopted by the City Council on March 20, 2024, allocated eight bodyguards each to the Executive Mayor and the Speaker of the council, while members of the Mayoral Committee and committee chairs received between two and five officers. It also earmarked six luxury vehicles for the mayor, five for the speaker, and additional vehicles for 12 MECs and some committee chairs.
The court noted that the policy provided more generous personal protection services to senior municipal councillors than permitted by the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers Act and ministerial determinations. National law stipulates that the Mayor, Speaker, and Chief Whip are entitled to two bodyguards each, with additional protection requiring a South African Police Service (SAPS) threat assessment.
Despite this, the governing coalition proceeded without the necessary threat assessments, leading to the city spending over R3 million per month on VIP protection, employing 60 bodyguards and 40 vehicles. This expenditure mirrored the “blue-light” culture that has been criticized for diverting funds from essential services.
DA’s Response
Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku stated that the DA had raised concerns within the council, warning that the policy violated constitutional limits and urging its withdrawal. “Despite this, the ANC-EFF-PA coalition ridiculed us and used its numerical advantage to pass this through council,” she said. After their pleas were ignored, the DA served the city with legal papers in May 2024, seeking a review of the policy.
The High Court found the resolution inconsistent with the Remuneration Act and ministerial determinations, declaring the policy and related allowances null and void. The court ordered the city to revise its VIP protection policy to comply with legal standards, including obtaining threat assessments from SAPS before assigning any additional bodyguards.
To ensure officials’ safety during the transition, the court suspended its order for six weeks, allowing the city time to obtain the necessary threat assessments. This suspension can be extended if evidence suggests that removing the extra protection would pose an immediate danger.
Kayser-Echeozonjoku expressed skepticism about the city’s ability to provide the required assessments, stating, “We aren’t holding our breath for those, as they have failed to provide them for over a year.” The court also ordered the City of Johannesburg to pay the applicant’s legal costs on an attorney and client scale.
“Unfortunately, the city has had to learn yet another costly lesson in the rule of law. Residents of Johannesburg will have to pay for the lack of good governance and due diligence by the city,” Kayser-Echeozonjoku added.
Implications for Service Delivery
The DA has consistently argued that funds allocated to VIP protection could be better spent on improving service delivery in Johannesburg. The city’s expenditure on VIP protection has been criticized, especially given the financial constraints and service delivery challenges it faces.
In March 2024, the DA condemned the city’s VIP protection policy, stating that the coalition governing Johannesburg was failing in service delivery while seeking protection from the people they were supposed to serve. The party highlighted the need for resources to be directed towards addressing the city’s pressing issues rather than on excessive security measures for politicians. 
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