As violence was unleashed during the taxi strike, law enforcement officers were asked to work 24 hours without a break.
A memo sent to staff seen by the “Weekend Argus” also stated that “no leave requests” would be considered for approval during the taxi violence period.
“Members who didn’t avail themselves for normal or overtime duties in the period of the taxi violence will not be considered for overtime till further notice,” continued the memo by a senior official.
The SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) said it was concerned about the “veiled threats” to officers and had no collective agreement with the City related to the request.
A law enforcement officer who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisal said: “There were officers who were on sick leave when this memo came out. There are also those who stay in areas such as Philippi, Nyanga, Gugulethu who could not come to work fearing for their lives and what could happen to their families. And this is how they are treated.”
Another law enforcement officer said that a different set of rules regarding the availability during the strike period was applied to top officials.
Two senior officials took leave, with one indicating that he would be out of the office from August 10–13.
“While we were under fire, in the thick of the violence that was unleashed in Cape Town, one would have expected that top officials would lead by example and cancel any leave to give moral and other support to their officers,” said the law enforcement officer.
On August 5, a Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officer was shot and killed in Nyanga.
Zanikhaya Kwinana, 32, was with colleagues patrolling the township in a marked vehicle when they came under fire.
In an update to Cape Town residents on August 9, mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis heaped praise on the work of law enforcement officers.
Hill-Lewis wrote: “Our City law enforcement agencies working alongside the SAPS have worked tirelessly to keep commuters safe, escorting MyCiTi and Golden Arrow buses on 72 routes around the city. Protecting commuters and other public transport providers remains our primary focus and I am pleased to report that yesterday (August 8) passed almost entirely without incident.”
A law enforcement officer who stays in Philippi spoke of being torn between serving the community he “loves” and obeying the instruction of long shift hours.
“It’s a question of you dare you are doomed, and you don’t you are still doomed. We have to feed our families. Those who were off duty were called back and they could not say ‘no’ for fear of disciplinary actions and losing the job.”
He also said young LEAP officers who availed themselves for overtime did so for fear of losing a chance of becoming permanent officers or facing disciplinary action.
City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said when necessary, officers “on standby” might be required to work overtime for emergencies and in the interest of public safety.
“However, the duration of their shifts will normally be 12 hours or less, depending on the nature of the incident or situation. Other officers may be approached as well, but fundamentally overtime is not compulsory as per the Basic Conditions of Employment Act unless the circumstances are of an extreme nature.”
He said the request for overtime or emergency work was within the collective agreement of the bargaining council.
Regarding the “threats” made to those who were not available for overtime work, Tyhalibongo said the City did not condone such alleged threats.
“To the best of our knowledge, officers who had approved leave applications were not prevented from going on leave.”