The South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Eastern Cape has paid out civil claims in excess of R45 million for the 2018/19 financial year.
That is according to MEC for Safety and Liaison, Weziwe Tikana, who was responding to a written question posed by the Democratic Alliance (DA).
According to the DA, this is up by R6-million from the claims paid in the 2017/18 financial year, and nearly R11-million more than what was paid out in 2016/17.
In a statement on Thursday, DA MPL Bobby Stevenson said that a pending R2,3 billion in current claims against the police in the Eastern Cape was a shocking indictment on the state of policing in the province.
"This is an extremely disturbing trend which underlines the importance of the need for a human rights culture and professional SAPS in the Eastern Cape."
The breakdown of claims paints a picture of a police service that is not upholding the law and respecting the rights of people.
Stevenson said that figures paid out for the 2018/19 year included:
-African News Agency (ANA),
