Johannesburg - A Soweto man has described the appalling conditions endured by trainees of the crime warden initiative launched by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi.
Mandla Nyaqela, 42, said he had been admitted to the programme that was supposed to produce 6000 crime wardens who would help the police combat crime in the province.
“More than 20 people were forced to share in 8-metre-long containers. We drank water from boreholes, and there was a serious scarcity of the very same unhealthy water we drank and showered with. The water was always cold, and it was very hard to take a shower during winter. There was a scarcity of food and the food was never properly prepared… There are people who were rushed to clinics because of food poisoning,” Nyaqela said.
Nyaqela said the training was carried out by former soldiers and Correctional Services officials who seemed to have no idea about police work such as opening a docket or taking a statement. He said while at the camp, there were sightings of venomous snakes.
“There were people who got sick, and they were sent back home, and we later received the news that they passed on; the area was full of venomous snakes.”
Nyaqela said while the physical training may not have demanded much from them, the insults and abuse from those who were tasked with training them were too much to bear.
“We were verbally abused and insulted by senior officers from the Department of Community Safety in Gauteng, or Gauteng Traffic Police, to be precise. People would collapse at the parade and get rushed to the nearest clinic,” he said.
Nyaqela said he was booted out of the programme by one of his trainers, who would often refer to the trainees as having big noses.
“She (the trainer) earlier told us that at the parade we must not scratch our private parts or poke our big noses and ears… for me, that was the highest form of racism,” he said.
Despite signing a contract, Nyaqela said he was removed from the programme after being accused of absconding. “I remain unemployed and at home since… and I do not know what my fate is in the Department of Community Safety,” he said.
Nyaqela said he had been involved in community policing for years. He said getting into the crime warden programme was a chance to earn some money while contributing to his community.
“I have volunteered for years on the ground in my community without getting a penny under the Community Policing Forum because I am passionate about combating crime,” he said.
Another trainee spoke to The Star on condition of anonymity. He complained that he and others had not been paid since their training began. He said they were supposed to receive R4 000 per month.
“This is hitting our pockets very deeply. We have even gone to loan sharks to help us,” he said.
Another said they were forced to persevere under unbearable conditions because they were desperate for jobs.
The initiative has been criticised by some, who said the wardens were overweight and questioned their competence to fight crime. The provincial government insisted, however, that the wardens would not replace the police.
Despite this, Lesufi said the wardens would be equipped with hi-tech equipment including 180 drones, 200 cars and six helicopters, to help them fight crime.
The provincial government had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.
The Star