The Ekurhuleni metro said it would implement consequence management against metro police officials who had participated in an illegal protest across major arterial routes in Gauteng’s industrial and manufacturing hub.
This after disgruntled Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) officials used the department’s official vehicles to blockade crucial routes, including the R21, R24, N12, N17 and N3, which connect the metro to Africa’s busiest airport, OR Tambo International, and link Gauteng to KwaZulu-Natal and other provinces.
“We were not informed about this particular protest action. We all woke up to the news that major arterial routes have been blocked off. These are crucial routes that take you to any part of SA. We had to get national and provincial law enforcement agencies to come and assist in freeing up the roads,” Ekurhuleni metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said.
“It was an illegal protest action because they did not apply for permission.”
The EMPD is part of an essential service, and essential service workers are legally prohibited from striking.
The EMPD protest comes two weeks after the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu), the country’s largest labour representative in local government, expressed displeasure over Ekurhuleni’s decision to cut overtime pay for its 16,000-strong workforce by 50%.
The move by the metro, which is struggling financially, is part of the city’s revenue enhancement strategy.
In a memorandum of demands dated February 26, EMPD officers expressed grievances over their salaries, overtime compensation and working conditions, saying historically, officers had benefited from overtime, “which has been regarded as part of their salary, enabling them to meet financial obligations such as loan approvals and other necessities”.
“The employer has now significantly reduced officers’ overtime salaries from 80 hours to 16 hours, which will severely impact their financial stability and overall morale. This drastic reduction will place officers below the standard living scale and erode their financial security, affecting their families and well-being.”
The officers also complained about conditions of employment, saying Joburg metro police officers worked 16 days a month (four days on/four days off) with “higher salaries than EMPD officers”.
Ekurhuleni finance MMC Jongizizwe Dlabathi told Business Day recently that the council had been dealing with complaints about overtime for some time.
Dlabathi criticised the “culture of overtime” in the municipality, saying the practice should be provided for only in case of emergencies and “extraordinary events”.
“In quarter one, roughly R216m was spent on overtime.... Projections for the entire year are that we would have spent about R1bn,” Dlabathi said.
He said the metro, which has an operating budget of R60bn and a capital budget of R2.9bn for 2024/2025, was not in a financial crisis, “but we admit the city is financially constrained. The income we are generating is quite limited. We have not been collecting revenue according to the set norms and standards.”
Meanwhile, in his state of the province address last month, Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi said law enforcement agencies from across the province’s 11 municipalities had signed a deal to operate under one banner.
This means the Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane metro police departments would no longer be bound by their geographic boundaries or jurisdictions in upholding law and order in SA’s financial and economic heartland.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.