Metro cops back at work

2009-10-09 08:39

Johannesburg - Metro police department employees who abandoned work to protest against the return of their boss were back at work on Friday, said an official.

"They are back at work," said spokesperson Inspector Edna Mamonyane.

The workers belonging to the SA Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) stopped working on Thursday in protest against the return of the department's chief Chris Ngcobo.

Ngcobo returned to work on Monday after being cleared of misconduct charges and re-instated following a probe by the City of Johannesburg.

The metro police boss was accused of failing to perform his duties, failing to act decisively on allegations about three suspended employees and promoting corruption by giving some employees allowances.

Ngcobo stepped down and the investigation followed.

Licensing and testing stations closed

His return raised the ire of union members who obtained permission from the metro department to hold a meeting on Wednesday between 10:00 noon, but they did not return to work afterwards. Licensing and testing stations throughout the city were closed on Thursday and only a few traffic officers were on the streets due to the protest.

The union met mayor Amos Masondo and city manager Mavela Dlamini and agreed that in the interest of service delivery, workers would return to work on Friday.

However, the union insisted that it did not recognise Ngcobo as department chief.

"We will go back to work tomorrow, but unfortunately we do not recognise Ngcobo as metro police chief," Samwu's Johannesburg secretary Dumisani Langa said.

Masondo agreed to meet the union again on Monday to discuss their issues further.

- SAPA