METRO’S COBWEB COPS
Transport takes flak from BCM over approval ‘delay’
BCM asked the provincial safety department to support its police – and then they both forgot about the request for 7 years
Buffalo City Metro councillors have lambasted the Eastern Cape department of safety and liaison and accused the office of MEC Weziwe Tikana of being “slow” in approving a 2011 application to establish a metro police force in the city.
Seven years later, city manager Andile Sihlahla presented a letter from the department in a council meeting last month in which provincial safety and liaison acting head Zukile Kani asks the current council to reaffirm its support for the 2011 metro police.
The letter, sent to Sihlahla late last year, states: “The BCM council resolution approving the establishment of the metro police was taken in 2011. This is seven years ago and the current council has not reaffirmed that decision. Whilst the decisions of council are binding on its successors, it may be prudent to obtain a reaffirmation from the current council.”
While in support of the reaffirmation, unimpressed ANC councillors said they did not understand why the process had dragged on for so many years when the metro’s law enforcement unit continues in a state of distress.
There are 71 law enforcement officers in BCM.
ANC ward 31 councillor and mayoral committee member Sindile Toni said: “We must express disappointment to the office of the MEC that from 2011 to date the process is very slow. Let’s mandate the executive mayor to engage with that office for the speedy finalisation of the metro police. I support the reaffirmation of the resolution taken in 2011.”
ANC councillor Crosby Kolela agreed and added: “We are a metro therefore we do qualify. We are not cashstrapped, if you look at our liquidity it allows us to act accordingly where essential services are needed.”
DA councillors raised concerns about the reaffirmation and distanced themselves from it.
DA caucus chair Vaughan Holmes said: “The concern is that obviously a lot has changed between 2011 and today and we don’t think that the same circumstances are in place. We took the liberty of contacting legal services and they want to know more than just the reaffirmation. They want us to get the reassurance that we qualify to be a metro police force and that we can afford it.
“And given the fact that our financial situation has deteriorated over time, I think we need to do an investigation into this and look at all the criteria and do our best to actually meet those criteria. I suggest the report goes back [to the city manager],” Holmes said.
DA councillor Bill Gould questioned whether the metro could afford it and DA caucus chief whip Dharmesh Dhaya recorded the party’s dissent.
In 2017 the Daily Dispatch reported that BCM had plans to establish the unit during the 2017-18 financial year.
BCM’s organisational structure was reviewed to accommodate the recruitment of officers needed to staff the force and the initial operational staff complement was expected to be 165 officers.
The budget for the move was R149m at the time.
Department spokesperson Unathi Binqose said the department had to get “a fresh mandate which may have some amendments that talk to and fit the needs of the metro now, not those that existed some seven or eight years ago”.
“There have been some major changes in the council personnel as well.”
He said one of the issues that blocked the approval was the question of budget.
“The lack of confirmation of a budget for such a massive project was the main hindrance. When the metro responded they only provided for one financial year instead of the three, which is the minimum requirement,” said Binqose.
The lack of confirmation of a budget was the main hindrance