Popcru hands government ultimatum

Eastern Cape’s Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) has given government seven days to respond to demands by its members employed in the security cluster.

The workers are from the correctional services in the Department of Justice, South African Police Services in the Department of Police, and traffic officers in the Department of Transport.

They gathered at the Jan Smuts stadium yesterday before marching to the correctional services offices at Ocean Terrace in Quigney.

Provincial Popcru chairman, Loyiso Mdingi said they had targeted the correctional services offices mainly because the department “lacks direction and leadership”.

Representatives of the SAPS and transport were present outside the Ocean Terrace offices to accept a memorandum of demands made by their respective employees.

Correctional services acting regional manager Claudette van Zyl accepted the memorandum on behalf of the department.

Regional manager Nkosinathi Breakfast, who is currently on leave, was present to show support.

Deputy provincial police commissioner Major-General Nomalady Dlani accepted the memorandum on behalf of the Eastern Cape police, while the transport services department sent their legal adviser Mbulelo Hongo to accept the memorandum.

They all committed to give urgent attention to the issues raised.

Correctional services employees are demanding that the department:

• Establish a promotion policy;
• Fill all vacant posts at lower level;
• Pay outstanding overtime dating back to 2009; and
• Implement all concluded agreements.

The SAPS employees are demanding that:

• Clusters and regions be abolished;
• Racism be rooted out; and
• Safety among members be maximised to avoid police killings.

The traffic officers are demanding that:

• Traffic intervention units be abolished;
• Unprocedural implementation of disciplinary matters be terminated; and
• That they be on par with other provinces in terms of salaries.

Mdingi said he was confident management would address their demands by next week Friday. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za