COSATU Free State has noted with serious concern the response of SAPS to the memorandum which we handed over on May Day 2016 has been that of acting with impunity against the issues we had raised. In our memorandum we raised with SAPS that there is discrimination that is being practiced in the Provincial Office of SAPS where the African staff members were unfairly discriminated against.

We raised the issue that the head of Human Resources Component of SAPS in the province continue to treat POPCRU members with disdain and that he was deliberately acting against the transformation of SAPS to be representative of the demographics of our country at all levels.

One recent stark incident is how the re-enlistment of former police officers were handled whereby white officers were given more preferential treatment than those of other colours as a result majority of those enlisted were white and other applications were rejected! We have thus been responded to with impunity and disdain by SAPS in that the very officer who has proven to be anti transformation has thus been confirmed and given a vote of confidence by the Acting National Commissioner.

We are further shocked by the chauvinistic approach which the Acting National Commissioner effected the un-procedural promotions within SAPS where amongst all the seven officers who were promoted only one woman is amongst them. We condemn this with the strongest terms and reject the notion that has been implied by this action to the effect that women in SAPS are not worth being promoted despite the hard work and the dedication they have and continue to show in their work.

What has also become clear is that the Provincial Commissioner General Mpembe seems to in cahoots with General Dewet on the matter, if he was not he would have acted a long time ago when we raised the matter with him more than a year ago. We would be calling for his immediate removal in that he is a conspirator with General Dewet either by his actions or by his failure to act!

We would therefore be joining POPCRU in their march on June 30, 2016 to add our voice to condemnation of the actions of the Acting National Commissioner of continually acting against POPCRU and to emphasize our call for the Removal of General De Wet from the HR Component of SAPS.

We also understand the march of POPCRU to be about eradicating obstacles for our members in the criminal justice cluster to serve our communities better hence the support for workers in Traffic, Correctional Services and SAPS when they fight for their right to fair working conditions for they want to serve our nation!

 

Issued by COSATU Free State