Ekurhuleni officials berate EMPD officers after ‘premature and unnecessary’ strike paralyses city

Most of the City of Ekurhuleni was paralysed on Wednesday when disgruntled metro police officers blockaded highways and major roads in illegal strike action. Thousands of motorists were left stuck in gridlock for up to four hours as almost economic activity ground to a halt between around 7am and 11am.

Members of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police (EMPD) were dejected because, according to MMC for Finance Jongizizwe Dlabathi, the department did not meet their demands regarding wages and working conditions.

EMPD strike ‘premature and unnecessary’

“It was a departmental matter that has now escalated to the city’s executive after today’s illegal strike,” he said.

Spokesperson for the city, Zweli Dlamini, said that EMPD’s actions must be condemned. “A labour forum was scheduled for 2 April where the EMPD officers’ grievances would have been tabled anyway,” Dlamini noted. “The blockade of the city was premature and unnecessary.”

ALSO READ: WATCH: EMPD strike disrupts traffic across Gauteng

‘Scare tactics’

Local ward councillor Simon Lapping of the DA called the EMPD’s actions “scare tactics” akin to economic extortion. He said that disregard for the law extended to the striking metro police using taxpayer assets, vehicles, and fuel to aid their actions.

“Residents were, in effect, paying for the mess.” 

Along with frustrated commuters and companies, Lapping was furious.

“Ekurhuleni is home to the majority of heavy industry in the Gauteng metro areas and a slight chink in the value chain, even just for a few hours, can cost the economy millions,” he said. “Notwithstanding the inconvenience and the fact that the very people paid to enforce the law could so easily break it.”

An irate X user posted: “I love watching my taxes being spent paying government salaries and vehicles that are being used to obstruct my countrymen from getting to work. From this, one can logically conclude that paying taxes makes one criminally complicit in these events.”

Another commented that “only in South Africa will those responsible for enforcing the law break the very same law by blocking free movement of people. Those officers need to be arrested and fired”.

ALSO READ: EMPD officers angered by overtime pay cuts

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis weighed in on X and agreed with the post. “In Cape Town every one of these officers would be fired, and the unions would attack us for doing so,” he wrote.

Dhlabathi said that due process will take place. “That will be the correct course of action and we will be guided by the outcome thereof in terms of consequence management,” he said.

Saps criticised

The finance MMC also criticised the South African Police Service for not taking control of the situation.

“The police could have done better in terms of curtailing this kind of lawlessness on our national highways,” he said. “This whole event was unfortunate and has inconvenienced people and businesses. This kind of action must not be promoted.”

Representatives of EMPD staffers and city executives, including Dlabathi, are meeting on Thursday to further discuss the events and the metro cops’ grievances.

NOW READ: Six EMPD officers arrested for alleged extortion of Congolese national [VIDEO]