Pretoria - After a year on suspension, four senior Tshwane Metro Police officers are back at work despite the charges against them being deemed to be “detrimental” to the city and department at the time.
They were charged by the city’s chief of police, Steve Ngobeni, for insubordination in October last year.
The officers are Senior Superintendent James Tsedu, Sergeant Albert Rakgatla, Commander Phuthi Chauke and shop steward Joseph Shadung.
They were suspended after they penned an email to their superior in which they disapproved of the appointment of executive director Console Tleane as acting police chief.
The four questioned why Tleane, who was appointed to do administrative work, was accorded the status of the top cop. They said the decision was improper because Tleane was not qualified as a police officer.
The appointment was made at the time when Ngobeni was on leave after he failed to disclose to the city that he had been caught speeding in Modimolle, Limpopo, in 2012.
He was eventually found guilty and paid a R3 000 penalty.
In the email, the officers indicated they did not recognise Tleane as part of the leadership of the organisational structure after he was appointed by the chief of police.
Rakgatla said it was unfair labour practice by the employer to allow the indefinite suspension to last for more than 12 months.
He said he received a letter indicating he should resume duty on November 2 after 12 months of suspension. The other three had returned to work.
Pretoria News