Furniture worth almost R245000 at Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa's Cape Town office had been attached to cover the costs of civil claims, the DA said yesterday.
"Even when the Ministry of Police loses in court it chooses to ignore the ruling, forcing citizens to ask the sheriff of the court to attach goods in lieu of payment," DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard said.
"I will be submitting a series of questions to minister Mthethwa to determine why the South African Police Service is repeatedly failing to uphold the law and meet its debts."
Kohler Barnard said the ministry had failed to pay the costs for five cases it had lost on appeal.
Mthethwa's spokesman, Zweli Mnisi, said the ministry was not aware of the attachments or the cases.
"The Ministry of Police respects every judgment of the court and when we are ordered to pay any victim who might have suffered as a result of alleged police brutality, or any other case, we do comply.
"Politicians must refrain from politicising crime. Clearly, to us, this is an example of politicking."
According to the 2010-2011 police annual report, R11-billion has been earmarked for civil claims against the police.
The claims include compensation for assault, shootings, damage to property, vehicle accidents and legal costs.
Kohler Barnard said three years ago a law firm compiled a 400-page report on police legal services.
"The DA has repeatedly urged the ministry to act on the report's findings. Why two successive ministers of police have failed to act on its recommendations has never been explained."
When the report was commissioned, the backlog of civil claims against the police stood at 19000.
"The minister of police must explain why this state of affairs has been allowed to continue, and what steps he plans to take to curb the SAPS's repeated failure to meet its debts," she said.
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