Ekurhuleni ANC slams DA over calls for mass dismissal of EMPD workers

The ANC in Ekurhuleni has slammed the DA for suggesting a mass dismissal of at least 250 EMPD workers who allegedly have criminal records.

The DA in Ekurhuleni said it was shocking that residents and motorists in Ekurhuleni were being protected by police with criminal records. The party also alleged that most of the employees had gotten criminal records after they were appointed to the metro police force.

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Dismissal of workers not that easy

ANC RTT coordinator, Jongizizwe Dlabathi told The Citizen the DA was being irresponsible for calling for the dismissal of the EMPD staff.

“It is not easy to remove people who have been submitted into an internal human resource selection process. It’s not that easy because it’s not like people did not undergo a particular process,” he said.

Dlabathi said the human resources at the EMPD was competent to handle situations in which members of the police have criminal records.

“If the DA says that it’s upon them to prove and they must show that when these charges came about. You will find that they do not even have that information,” he said.

Appointment in Ekurhuleni made on merit

Dlabathi denied that some of the EMPD officers who have been found to have criminal records are members of the ANC. This comes after an accusation that some of the police members with criminal records were members of the DA.

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“At no point have we discussed in our meetings about who must be appointed as far as the EMPD officers are concerned. There is nothing in our level as far as that,” he said.

Dlabathi said even in other municipal departments the ANC did not interfere with the appointment of officials other than political staff.

“The DA themselves make decisions of who becomes the mayor and the MMCs so its common across all political parties that positions of a political nature, especially public representatives’ parties, will have a view,” he said.