Johannesburg – The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) spokesperson Richard Mamabolo says the past two years have been filled with unanticipated challenges for its members.
He said the challenges have had an adverse impact on the workplace and impeded on their commitment towards redefining the criminal justice cluster while defending their hard-won gains.
“The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic left more than 50 000 members within our sectors infected, while 876 fatalities have been reported.
“This caused delays in the much-needed services provided, as many had to be put off sick from time to time.
“As a union, we have taken a stance to encourage our members to get vaccinated, and this has been the case because of their work in the front line.
“Although we initially had challenges around the large number of our members being infected, especially in 2020, recent reports have demonstrated that the infection and death rates have not been on an increase,” Mamabolo said.
He said the union extended its condolences to the families and friends of law enforcement officers who met their untimely deaths due to alterations within correctional centres and the continued police killings.
Mamabolo said despite the challenges, Popcru fought for the absorption of more than 2 000 DCS learners who were idle and isolated after concluding their leadership training programmes since last year.
“We have concluded the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) salary adjustment agreement, wherein those within the salary bracket of R500 000 will get a 5.5% increase, those between R500 000, 01 and R600 000 will get a 5% increase, and those over R600 000 will be getting 4%.
“In the SAPS, we have translated security and Public Service Act personnel, and thus far, two groups were currently at training colleges, while the third will be starting their training in January 2022.
“We have also established consultative forums in all provinces, which have culminated into the national consultative forum,” Mamabolo said.
He said the forum was tasked with the responsibility to come up with a draft employment equity plan for the SAPS.
Mamabolo said in the 2021 Budget tabled in February, National Treasury slashed the baseline allocation to the police services by close to R12 billion.
“Over the next three years, according to the SAPS annual report, allocations will be reduced by R15.8bn next year and by R11.5bn in 2023, as part of the government’s cost-cutting plan after the pandemic blew a hole in revenues and economic growth,” he said.
He said it was important to note that the imposed budget cuts deeply affected its ability to respond to the violent protests witnessed, as they have also seen an overlapping humanitarian and economic crisis that impacted on the security crisis.
Political Bureau