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Popcru calls for Ramaphosa’s intervention in grievances

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Police deputy Minister Bongani Mkongi says trained police officers working as administrators at the Police head-quarters in Pretoria, should be re-deployed to police stations to fight crime on the ground.

Mkongi was among the Ministers that were responding to a memorandum of grievances by Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) in Pretoria on Friday.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi and Bongani Mkhongi have accepted a memorandum of grievances by Popcru member.

Popcru marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, seeking ministers of Health, Police, Transport and Justice to address their grievances.

Among their grievances is police killings, staff shortages at police stations and correctional service, wage disparities and the nationalisation of traffic officers.

Popcru leader Zizamele Cebekhulu says they want President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene in addressing their grievances.

The union says the march will not affect police work, as it is only officers on leave participating in the march.

“We’ve got an extreme shortage of membership. St. Albans, as I’ve seen in Port Elizabeth, is one prison where officials are being butchered everyday by prisoners because siyashoda,” says Cebekhulu.

They are also calling for the speedy implementation of the national health insurance as they can’t afford to sustain their medical payments.

Mkongi says the police department is already looking at some of the issues raised by the workers.

“Policing and fighting crime is not at the offices in PTA, but on the streets of Gugulethu. So all these commanders must go down. They are resisting.  Some of them are taking us to court. So we are saying we need your support, and make sure we are taking those higher ranks, because if they take them down they go with their resources at police station level.”

 

Earlier Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union Popcru members have gathered in Pretoria for a march to Union Buildings to address their grievances with four ministers including Police and Correctional Service.

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