While the striking members of the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) have returned to their posts following their Wednesday protest which disrupted traffic in the city, Ian Cameron, the DA's chairperson for the Portfolio Committee on Police, called for these officers to be jailed.

"Every single one of the metro police members from the City of Ekurhuleni that did what they did this morning should be arrested and charged. This is shameful, to say the least. You have no idea of what many people have sacrificed to serve and protect with a police badge," Cameron said on Wednesday.

This comes after the City of Ekurhuleni also slammed the protest action by its members, who blocked various City of Ekurhuleni routes, including the busy R24 Westbound between OR Tambo International Airport interchange and Electron interchange, resulting in heavy delays in the city.

These protesting officers took their march to the city's Germiston offices as they demanded salary adjustments, a new overtime system, better working conditions, and recognition of their contribution to crime prevention, among other demands.

They accused the city of failing to take their demands seriously, resulting in the eventual protest that sparked controversy across the board.

In a message seen by IOL, one of the officers wrote: "Today we are marching to Germiston where all EMPD officers will be marching in demand of salary adjustments and not overtime work after we recently handed over our memorandum of demands to the Chief of Police, but nothing was done," the officer stated.

With placards that read: "We need salary adjustment and not overtime", these officers decried the lack of empathy the city is taking towards their grievances.

However, reacting to the illegal protest, mayoral spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini remarked: "The City of Ekurhuleni notes with concern the ongoing illegal strike action involving members of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD), which has resulted in significant disruptions on key arterial routes which resulted in heavy delays to road users."

At the centre of their outcry are the austerity measures and the recent reductions in overtime allocations for EMPD officers which form part of the city’s broader financial sustainability strategy aimed at ensuring responsible fiscal management and efficient service delivery.

As such, Dlamini said the city does not take the protest action lightly as it has negatively impacted public safety.

"We strongly condemn this unlawful protest action, as it compromises public safety and disrupts the daily commute of thousands of residents and visitors. The city is actively engaging with relevant stakeholders and law enforcement agencies to resolve the situation swiftly. Motorists are urged to exercise patience, seek alternative routes where possible, and remain vigilant," Dlamini added.

According to the Joint Operations Committee (JOC) statement from the city, EPMD officials like all other essential workers are not allowed to engage in protest action as this violates their labour regulations.

"The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) is classified as an essential service in South Africa. According to the Labour Relations Act, essential services are those whose interruption would endanger the life, personal safety, or health of the population. This classification includes municipal traffic services and policing, under which the EMPD falls. As essential service workers, EMPD officers are legally prohibited from striking," the JOC statement said.

Ekurhuleni Finance MMC Jongizizwe Dlabathi said following this protest, the EMPD members must report to work after negotiating parties agreed to a conflict resolution meeting.

"We have made a plea because once you agree to a conflict resolution process, you must go back to your posts and allow that process to take its course. This has an impact on the safety of the city because if officers are not in their posts, a lot can happen," he said.

In solidarity with the protesting officers, the EFF in the province said it supports the workers in their pleas for help amid salary cuts, low wages, the reduction of overtime, and poor working conditions.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za