The union has criticised duplicated policing functions and called for greater involvement of frontline officers in decision-making.
Popcru says a leaner police headquarters could free up resources and strengthen crime-fighting efforts at station level. Picture: Gallo Images/Frennie Shivambu
Thulani Ngwenya, president of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), is calling for the police head office to be trimmed and devolving policy implementation to police stations to enable effective policing to fight crime.
Addressing the union’s central executive committee meeting in Boksburg yesterday, Ngwenya said the police head office is too top-heavy and must be cut to a few individuals, not only to save costs but also to increase the number of boots on ground.
“We are calling for trimming the police head office. We are telling them, ‘there are too many of you’, ” said Ngwenya.
“The police must get out of the head office and fight crime in the streets. Those in uniform must gain their experience in the streets. The head office is top-heavy. We have been saying that and we are still saying it today. We don’t need people at the head office. What are they doing there?”
“The fewer the police at head office, the better. People deserve a safer South Africa and that is possible if the implementers are filtered down to the police stations.”
Ngwenya condemned duplication of activities within the SA Police Service (Saps), with many policing investigative units performing the same tasks, which caused tension and infighting among members.
“We are saying as Popcru nothing about us without us,” said Ngwenya.
Popcru is a Cosatu affiliate and the oldest police union, founded by Lieutenant Gregory Rockman on 5 November, 1989.
At the time, Rockman came under heavy attack by the apartheid authorities for introducing trade unionism among members of what was known as SAP.
A call to challenge the status quo
Ngwenya paid tribute to the role played by 1976 youth and women who fought against pass laws in 1956.
He said if the youth and women of the time were steadfast in opposing apartheid policies, nothing should prevent the women and youth of today from emulating them in challenging the status quo.
He condemned the killing of police officers and urged the youth to participate in efforts to stop the carnage.
The youth must reject the glorification of criminals who are given fancy nicknames and treated as heroes for their crimes and killing police, added Ngwenya.
He asked what the ANC Youth League and Young Communist League, a youth wing of the SACP, were doing to challenge the status quo, as the 1976 generation had.
“What more must happen before the youth take a firm stand against violence targeting the police?” Ngwenya asked.
He said the Southern African Development Community, which met in Durban recently, must stop meeting and making decisions about workers without their input.
“No decision must be taken about us without us,” Ngwenya said, adding the Zambian government is in the process of implementing a South African-style two-pot system and austerity measures that are detrimental to workers’ interests.
Striking PIKITUP casual workers have confirmed that they have called off their protest action at waste depots, following the waste management company’s announcement on Thursday that collection services at all 12 depots had been restored.
WATCH | Johannesburg’s waste management entity, Pikitup, has confirmed that the protest at its depots has ended. The entity says waste collection services have been restored across all 12 depots. For more news, visit https://t.co/N9V5BF4stZ. pic.twitter.com/F9X0mLYRsc
The protest disrupted waste collection in parts of Johannesburg with Randburg, Marlboro and Avalon among the most impacted.
The casual workers were demanding to be employed permanently among other demands.
PIKITUP casual worker representative Themba Magoda says, “The feedback from yesterday’s meeting between casual workers, Pikitup and COJ we have reached an agreement with PIKITUP. We agreed that there won’t be any protests happening in PIKITUP depots with casual workers and PIKITUP agreed they will carry on with the recruitments.”
Video | Pikitup Strike | Rubbish piling up across Johannesburg as Pikitup casual workers down tools
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa has found alternative work for 102 workers who were due to be retrenched, while 43 others have taken early retirement packages. (Picture: Prasa)
Story audio is generated using AI
The ministerial task team appointed by transport minister Barbara Creecy in June to explore alternatives to retrenchments affecting 580 workers at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has resulted in 43 workers taking early retirement packages.
Another 102 staff have been matched and placed in vacancies across the rail operator’s departments and divisions.
Transport department national spokesperson Collen Msibi said 208 protection services employees had been “ring-fenced pending the conclusion of engagements with Transnet regarding the transfer of stations and related assets”.
A formal notice for the transfer of assets has been issued, “and the parties are working to conclude the process as soon as possible. The task team’s mandate has been extended until the end of August to explore alternatives to the remaining 227 employees”.
The United National Transport Union (Untu) and the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu), the two largest unions at Prasa, had criticised the planned retrenchments which Prasda said was due to “severe financial and operational constraints” at its long-distance passenger rail operations.
Both unions have been approached for comment on the latest development but have yet to respond.
Sowetan’s sister newspaper Business Day reported last month that in a document sent to employees Prasa said certain rail corridors had remained inactive for extended periods, leaving employees unable to perform productive work while continuing to receive full remuneration.
“After exhausting all reasonable alternatives, retrenchment was adopted as a last resort,” Prasa said.
Business Day understands that the Shosholoza Meyl service has not been operating at full capacity as a result. Prasa was allocated R5.8bn in February as part of the government’s efforts to modernise the passenger rail operator’s fleet and improve commuter rail services.
The programme is intended to boost annual passenger trips from 77-million to between 250-million and 450-million over the medium term.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana has said the special appropriation included R1.8bn earmarked for Prasa to help meet its contractual obligations under its agreement with Gibela. The rail transport consortium comprising Alstom and uBumbano Rail was established in 2013, as a ring-fenced company to execute Prasa’s rolling-stock fleet-renewal programme.
Labour union Untu recently provisionally withdrew its application to halt the retrenchment process from the labour court roll to give the task team time to explore alternatives to retrenchments.
Prasa, which has a track network of more than 2,280km, has been plagued by ageing infrastructure, vandalism, unreliability and ineffectiveness, fraud, corruption and safety concerns.
The entity launched a general overhaul programme in 2022 at a cost of R7.5bn, of which R3.48bn had been spent by the end of March 2025.
The overhaul was established to refurbish and extend the service life of Prasa’s legacy rolling stock fleet — the older Metrorail coaches and mainline passenger services locomotives that serve millions of commuters in South Africa’s metropolitan regions.
This comes as it added its voice to COSATU’s call for the suspension of retrenchment consultations at Premier Foods.
Sliced white bread. Image: pb29 on Pixabay
The Agricultural Food and Allied Democratic Workers Union (AFADWU) said investors across the country should consider the plight of the Tulbagh community.This comes as it added its voice to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)’s call for the suspension of retrenchment consultations at Premier Foods.
The union has also echoed COSATU’s claims that the company is not honouring a merger agreement that states that retrenchments should not be affected within the first three years.
Premier Foods announced its proposed closure earlier in August, putting the livelihoods of workers and the wider community at risk.AFADWU’s Nyaniso Gqalaqha said employees are not only panicked about the livelihoods at stake, but also about the debts they may need to service.
Gqalaqha has extended the call to anyone who may be able to assist the affected workers and community.
“We believe that the other stakeholders or the people that are willing to assist. They can be touched with this situation, the investors across the country. They must come forward to assist. This is going to be a big effect to the community of Tulbagh.”
Sibanye-Stillwater says workers’ wages have continued to rise, with mineworkers who fought for a R12 500 wage in 2012 now earning more than double that amount, 14 years after the Marikana massacre.
Lonmin had committed to reaching the R12 500 for entry-level workers by 2017. Sibanye-Stillwater took over in 2019.
As the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) prepares for the 14th Marikana massacre commemoration, the union’s Labour Party takes the centre stage ahead of this year’s local government elections. https://t.co/u1DvLsPgUxpic.twitter.com/kpcrVTOi1T
The company’s Stakeholder Relations Manager is Thabisile Phumo says they are currently on a five-year wage deal with their organised labour.
“Our basic salary is R20 000 for an entry-level employee. With benefits, this rises to R31 000, including other related benefits and a living-out allowance of R2 300 to enable employees who do not want to stay in mine accommodation to secure decent accommodation outside.”
VIDEO | Victory at last for Marikana platinum mineworkers
