Durban - A stand-off between management and officers at Port Shepstone’s Road Traffic Inspectorate has led to a go-slow, with little or no patrols being done, as motorists head home after the school holidays.
Twenty-one RTI officers are believed to have staged a sit-in since Thursday after learning that four members of management, who they previously called to be removed, were reinstated on Wednesday.
This comes as the volume of traffic looks set to increase as families head home after the holiday break.
A drive down the South Coast can be a hell run most of the time, and becomes even more dangerous during such peaks when rules of the road are often disregarded.
Three people died in a collision at Shelly Beach on Friday, but in spite of the go-slow by officers, the Tribune established that they were in attendance at the scene.
A member of staff at Port Shepstone, who asked not to be named, said officers were instructed to provide support in Margate on Thursday to deal with taxi violence, but they did not show up.
“They reported for duty on Thursday and Friday, but were not prepared to take instruction from the reinstated management. And they did no patrol duty on both days,” the informant claimed.
And it is uncertain, at this stage, whether the officers will return to their normal duty today, when holidaymakers are expected to leave the area.
But Zinhle Mngomezulu, RTI’s spokeswoman in KwaZulu-Natal, denied the allegations.
“There is no sit-in at Port Shepstone,” she said.
The unhappy officers previously made allegations that the four members of management had abused their power, displayed racist tendencies and victimised staff.
Those allegations were petitioned with RTI’s national office in 2013, with the disgruntled officers calling for the removal of Port Shepstone’s management.
RTI yielded to the call and later removed the four heads from their respective positions.
They were given strict instructions not to “interfere or instruct” any of the staff at the base or do any supervisory duties.
All the unhappy officers are believed to be members of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), while the management team is aligned to the Public Servants Association (PSA) union.
The PSA’s KZN head, Claude Naiker, said they lodged a grievance on behalf of their members and called for a probe into the allegations made by the officers.
RTI relented and a Pietermaritzburg law firm was engaged to investigate.
“Investigations have been completed and the attorneys have compiled their report. We have requested sighting of the report, but are yet to receive a copy,” Naiker said.
He believed the fallout between management and staff began in 2013 after an officer was charged with soliciting a bribe from a motorist.
The stand-off between the officers and management intensified after another officer was accused of falsifying a sick note.
Naiker said both officers were suspended, and now face bribery charges.
“Dockets were handed to RTI’s management outlining both fraud allegations, but nothing was done and the two accused were reinstated to their positions because Popcru threatened a strike.
“Whenever Popcru intervenes on behalf of its members and threatens strike action, RTI management buckles and matters are swept under the carpet,” Naiker alleged.
Naiker accused RTI of applying “selective discipline” and called on the organisation to investigate more thoroughly when complaints of substance are made.
“If not, anarchy sets in and members begin to think they are untouchable,” Naiker warned.
Popcru’s national spokes-man, Richard Mamabolo, made repeated promises to respond to allegations that their members had staged sit-ins this week, but had not done so at the time of publication.
With regards to the alleged strained relationship between the officers and management at Port Shepstone, Mngomezulu claimed she had no knowledge of it.
Sunday Tribune