Cape Town - All police officers on leave will report back to work amid the widespread violent protest and unrest.
This comes after the Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council (SSSBC) held an urgent meeting on Monday to discuss the emerging issues connected to the ongoing riots and looting across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
About 219 people have been arrested and six people have lost their lives since the start of the unrest.
Parties to the council agreed to recall all police members who are on leave or are deployed elsewhere, to be redeployed to curb further spread of the protests. The recall will be done on the basis that no member shall forfeit their benefits during the recall.
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said they further called for an immediate implementation of the danger allowance for members who would be deployed.
“Deployment of senior management on all operational imperatives and the implementation of SSSBC Collective Agreements 2 and 3, 2014 respectively, in order to ensure that members are compensated. Accordingly, the National Police Commissioner must declare this unrest as a national event,” said Mamabolo.
Popcru urged all police officers to heed the call for a recall in order to defend the country from the violent protests, and urged all members to be vigilant and exercise extreme caution when discharging their duties.
The officers will join members of the the SANDF, who will be deployed in line with a request for assistance received from the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure.
They will assist law enforcement agencies deployed in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
“The deployment will commence as soon as all deployment processes are in place. The duration and number of deploying soldiers will be determined based on the assessment of the situation on the ground by the relevant law enforcement agencies,” said SANDF spokesperson Mafi Mgobozi.
“Furthermore, it must be emphasised that the SANDF`s deployment objective is to provide safety and a safe working environment for members of the SAPS and other law enforcement agencies while they carry out their constitutionally mandated law and order duties. SANDF deployment-related information updates will follow in due course.”
Cape Times