INLSA

Durban city mayor James Nxumalo. Picture: Zanele Zulu.

The eThekwini council’s executive committee will hold an emergency meeting today to find a solution to the grievances of protesting metro police officers.

Mayor James Nxumalo made the promise after accepting a memorandum from hundreds of officers who marched from Berea to the city hall yesterday.

They brought traffic in Dr Pixley KaSeme (West) Street to a standstill and hurled insults at metro police head Eugene Nzama. Businesses along the route closed until the marchers passed by.

Nxumalo said he was committed to addressing the officers’ grievances and would give them feedback within 48 hours.

He said their grievances were legitimate and were among many issues at the municipality that needed to be corrected urgently.

“Since I have signed this memorandum, I will call an urgent executive committee meeting to sit at 10am (today). You will get your feedback before the end of the day,” he said.

Some of the officers said they had joined the force at the age of 18 and worked without being given the training required for permanent employment.

They said they were disqualified from attending the training when they reached the age of 30, and deprived of permanent employment and benefits such as medical aid.

Unhappy with his response to their grievances, the officers demanded that Nzama be reassigned to another department.

They also wanted the city to investigate the qualifications of Rajen Chin, head of the metro police’s specialised units.

Late last month, former eThekwini municipal manager Michael Sutcliffe suspended Chin and promised to start an investigation, which the marchers said had not commenced.

The officers also demanded the suspension of metro police human resources manager Monty Naidoo, who they accused of signing Chin’s employment contract.