Fired cops cry foul over penalty system
POLICE officers who protested against alleged unfair promotions in Cape Town last year have cried foul over the sanction system.
A constable said while some were dismissed, others were slapped with written warnings.
Hundreds of officers protested at Parliament last year, saying college graduates were being promoted over their experienced counterparts.
Speaking anonymously for fear of victimisation, the constable based in Harare, Khayelitsha said she was suspended without pay for two months despite taking part in the protest on her day off.
“We were found guilty of attending the strike. The thing that amazes me is that we are not getting the same sanction, some got written warnings and others were dismissed. I was off that day, so I don‘t understand why I got the same sanction as those who were on duty,” she said.
The constable said she had been in the force for 10 years, and the promotions were unfair. “When you are in the police force you are meant to get a promotion after seven years. We were shocked that there were some who got promotions after six months… it is unprecedented in the police force.”
A dismissed Langa officer said he was passionate about his job. “I was in the force for 19 years. On the day of the protests I was in town at a pharmacy as I was off sick, and I saw members at the parade. I didn’t even go to Parliament.”
He said because he was seen on CCTV footage speaking to protesting members, he was assumed to have been a participant.
A third officer said he was waiting for the outcome of his disciplinary hearing.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo declined to divulge any information. “This is an internal matter and we cannot discuss it. They are choosing to go to the media and that is not the right way. This is what got them into this matter in the first place,” Naidoo said.
He said “if any member was sanctioned following the process, it was after the correct steps were followed”.
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said the issue of promotions was a challenge. “We have been raising these issues with the minister and relevant people for years now. We have seen some members serving as constables for 20 years and some retiring without being promoted,” he said.