Durban will grind to a standstill and the city will be ungovernable if Metro Police head Eugene Nzama is not sacked by Wednesday.
This was the promise made by SA Municipal Workers Union regional secretary Nhlanhla Nyandeni outside the Durban City Hall on Friday where more than 300 officers were picketing and at one stage blocked Dr Pixley ka Seme (West) Street causing a major traffic jam for about half an hour.
And now an unlikely alliance between officers and the taxi industry could see the two joining forces next week in a massive march.
The two have a common goal – to see Nzama being fired.
“If things continue to move at a snail’s pace then we will make Durban ungovernable,” Nyandeni said outside the city hall.
Late on Friday afternoon Durban mayor James Nxumalo promised to look into the striking officers’ grievances and report back to them within two weeks.
Earlier the picket almost turned violent when the officers – who were bearing placards with messages such as “Farewell Nzama” and “Away with incompetent metro head” – blockaded Dr Pixley ka Seme Street, preventing vehicles from driving past the city hall.
Frustrated motorists who found themselves in the middle of the turmoil hooted and shouted – much to the amusement of the officers.
“I have no problem with them picketing or striking or whatever it is that they’re doing but there should have been prior warning about the road closure,” said Mandlawenkosi Hadebe, a delivery truck driver.
The road was eventually opened when SAPS officers arrived at the city hall, almost 30 minutes later.
Singing derogatory songs about Nzama, the officers called on the municipal manager, Sibusiso Sithole, to fire Nzama as a matter of urgency.
“Eugene Nzama must be removed,” said Nyandeni to much applause. “We are not willing to compromise.”
The union and officers gave Sithole a Wednesday deadline, saying if Nzama reports to his office on the day then Durban “would feel the wrath of the officers”.
Nzama, who has had a stormy relationship with his subordinates for several years, was placed on three months’ special leave because of concerns over his safety and instability in the department under his leadership.
The police chief subsequently approached the Durban Labour Court to challenge the decision, but dropped the legal proceedings when he was told he could return to his post two weeks ago, much to the disappointment of many staff, the taxi industry and unions.
Municipal spokesman Thabo Mofokeng said Nzama’s return to work would not halt a probe into allegations of misconduct and abuse levelled against him by the union and taxi operators.
During Nzama’s leave, Sithole had asked the city’s disaster management head, Vincent Ngubane, who had been appointed as acting metro police head, to speedily address issues that Nzama had allegedly failed to deal with, including facilitating the permanent employment of 1 000 temporary police officers and sending over-age officers for police training.
Nxumalo also addressed this and told the crowd: “The municipality has budgeted for all its contract workers to be employed permanently and our decision still stands,” said.
Police officers said Nzama had disrupted all the plans that had been set in motion to turn around the metro police.
Earlier Nyandeni said the officers were disappointed that Sithole was not in his office to receive their memorandum of demands and had instead sent out his deputy Sipho Cele to accept it.
“We are saddened that Sithole didn’t come to address us. We wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth so we could hold him accountable.”
Responding to the officers’ demands, Mofokeng said the city still intended converting contract workers to permanent employees. “And Nzama’s issue is receiving attention from the city manager,” he said.
In support of the officers, KZN Taxi Alliance general secretary Bafana Mhlongo said the taxi industry would also embark on a march on Wednesday to the legislature in Pietermaritzburg to hand a memorandum to Premier Zweli Mkhize.
“We were utterly disappointed when we heard that Nzama had been reinstated.
“We want him (Mkhize) to address our grievances and deal with Nzama,” he said, adding that taxis would be operating on a skeleton staff.
Independent on Saturday