THE Durban Metro Police Service commenced with the 2026 recruitment process, with the physical assessments being conducted at Lahee Park in Pinetown from Monday, January 6, until Thursday, January 9.

Due to the large number of applications, the physical assessments were separated into various phases, with the next one set to start on February 5.

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According to the eThekwini Municipality, more than 62 000 applications were received, processed, shortlisted and selected for the ultimate fitness test, which is one of the prerequisites in the recruitment process for Durban Metro Police.

Durban Metro Police spokesperson Colonel Victor Zungu said once the recruitment process has been finalised, 200 officers are expected to be appointed.

The physical assessments, said Zungu, will be followed by an aptitude test, an interview, and finally medicals, after which the successful candidates will be appointed.

“It is difficult to say how long the entire process will take because it all depends on the number of applications. For example, in the last recruitment process, we had about 100 000 applications and the entire process took almost a year to finalise,” said Zungu.

The municipality said the 2026 intake only targeted applicants from the City who hand-delivered their applications “to ensure full transparency”.

“While further assessments are continuing, the Metro Police have confirmed that there will be a balanced intake for the three months training process, and that they are hoping successful candidates will commence work in May 2026,” said the municipality in a statement.

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