Protest as over 500 SAPS trainees not paid stipends for two months
"Trainees are subjected to poor food and unequal treatment at the academies."
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) protested trainees’ conditions, including 545 not receiving their stipends over the past two months at the SAPS headquarters in Pretoria.
The march took place on Wednesday, June 22.
According to Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo, a memorandum of demands was handed to the national police commissioner over the “inhumane, undue conditions” trainees are being subjected to.
Mamabolo said they wanted to express their dissatisfaction over the discrepancies found within the SAPS training centres.
“We stand to express our anger and disappointment at the lack of care, support and protection of trainees at the various facilities.
“Trainees are subjected to poor food, unequal treatment at the academies, non-payment of stipends and the non-registration of all trainees under the Polmed medical aid scheme,” he said.
In the memorandum, they demanded the immediate registration of all trainees under Polmed.
“We demand an immediate investigation into the discrepancies surrounding the trainees who have not been receiving stipends.
“We also demand proper food and sanitation for all trainees and the immediate enlistment of all securities.
“There must be conducive conditions at training colleges and we demand the removal of the SAPS divisional commissioner (HRM),” reads the memorandum.
They also demanded a merger of HRM with training division 4.
The deputy national commissioner responsible for support services, Lieutenant-General Franscinah Vuma, received the memorandum on behalf of the police.
“Students who have been at college since the first of April did not receive their stipend so we had to check what the issues are.
“We employed them within one month and a few weeks, so it was a very tight administrative process and mistakes happen.”
Vuma said another part of the challenge was that some of these members were still employed by the government department.
“We have the documents that we want to process so the government cannot allow us to capture them until they have been removed from the system.
“Some of them did not complete or submit their bank forms which we are sending teams in the colleges to go and assist them.”
She said on June 21, only between 70 and 112 members’ issues weren’t resolved.
“We gave the HRM until Friday, June 23 at the latest to address this.”
Vuma said they can resolve the issues within 14 days, “but those that require the negotiation in the bargaining council are the issues that are on their table”.
“These will take a long time because they have financial implications which are not dependent on ourselves.”
Popcru demanded a response within 14 days of receiving the memorandum.
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