SAMWU to Defend EMPD Officers against Illegal Charges
31 October 2017
SAMWU to Defend EMPD Officers against Illegal Charges
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) has today written to the Ekhuruleni City Manager demanding that the pre suspension hearing against two of our members who are attached to the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) should not continue. The Officers appeared on a video which had been circulating on social media with money in their lunch packs.
First and foremost, according to our knowledge and evidence at our disposal, EMPD does not have a Chief of Police. The individual who has served our members with these illegal notice of suspension letters is illegitimate and has no authority to do so as there is no contract of employment between the City and any individual for the post of Chief of Police.
The perception has been created in the media particularly by the Minister of Police, Fikile Mbalula who has branded the Officers as “thugs” while they have not committed any crime. We condemn Minister Mbalula for jumping the gun and fueling speculation that the money the Officers had was proceeds of a criminal act. The Minister should rather focus on tracking and arresting individuals who are responsible for mass murders particularly in Philippi, Western Cape.
We have also noted that the Portfolio Committee on Transport was presented with an undertaking by the Transport Department that action will be taken against the Officers. We take dim view towards this undertaking as we view it to be a prosecution of our members outside disciplinary mechanisms which are in place at the City of Ekurhuleni.
The two Officers have our undivided support as we believe they have not committed any crime. These are individuals who have recently graduated from the EMPD academy and were happy to have received their salaries which they have worked for. SAMWU will not promote any criminality but we will equally not fold our arms while our members are prosecuted on the basis of perception and speculation.
We will therefore be demanding that the City bring to a halt this crusade they have embarked on of systematically targeting workers for no apparent reason. Currently EMPD has over 200 suspension wherein workers have not been formally charged all because there is no evidence of wrong doing. The City of Ekurhuleni should rather focus on employing a competent individual as the Chief of Police.
Issued by SAMWU Ekurhuleni
Chris Mavhunda
Regional Secretary
083 519-0181
Or
Papikie Mohale
National Media Officer
073 710 0356