SAPS members who worked during the election period are crying foul after their employer failed to pay them their dues.

About 55 000 police officers worked to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election process, but Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) said their members were left in the lurch, with no one coming forward to explain why their allowances have not been fully paid.

Popcru provincial secretary Nthabeleng Molefe said they met with the police management on Wednesday seeking answers to the matter.

“The special events provide that members get a certain amount as per the hours worked at a given time during the event. The department had asked our members to work a 12-hour shift since it was election period, but some of our members ended up working over 24 hours, as some voting districts closed very late.

“The employer, in return, is only paying for up to the stipulated 12 hours and this shocked us,” said Molefe.

She said their members worked tirelessly to ensure that there was peace and stability in KZN, adding that the employer should be showing appreciation by paying officers for the hours they have worked.

“It is painful to work and not get paid for your services, especially in KZN because that’s the province in which people have been holding their breath, wishing for everything to go smoothly during the elections. We met with the management on Wednesday and the explanation was that not enough money was made available for this purpose when the arrangements were made and it was not anticipated that the hours worked would exceed 12 hours.

“We are yet to communicate this to our members,” Molefe told The Witness on Thursday.

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said they were working on a long list of members that must be paid.

She said they were fast-tracking payments and some have received their special allowance and overtime.

Mathe said more than 55 000 members were to be paid and the department was on track with the payments.

“The SAPS started planning for the elections as far back as last year. The provision for overtime and special allowance was made for members. The payment of members has begun and it is at an advanced stage. For example, the Free State is 90% done with paying the special allowance for the elections. It’s envisaged that by the end of June members will have all been paid.

“We are still on track and within timeframes. The department is prioritising all these payments,” said Mathe.

She said it was the department’s priority to process the claims as soon as possible and that dedicated efforts have been deployed to the process.

She said some members were still on deployment in provinces like KZN.