The City of Tshwane has settled at least 182 of the 419 disciplinary proceedings against its officials filed since July 1, 2022. Officials from the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) are involved in 259 disciplinary cases.
“While this is far short of our target of resolving 100% within 90 days, we are dealing with a major backlog of cases, particularly within the TMPD,” said councillor Kingsley Wakelin, MMC for Corporate and Shared Services.
This comes shortly after the City of Tshwane cracked the whip on a number of TMPD officers who had recently been arrested and reported for misconduct. This included allegedly operating outside their jurisdiction.
Motorists who are pulled over by department officers have been instructed by the City to request their appointment certificates. They should also take photos and videos of officers and their vehicle number plates.
Although the unions representing the Tshwane Metro Police Department members facing disciplinary action have expressed some resistance, the City has made a commitment to eliminate "criminal elements" within the entity.
“We want to assure residents that the perception that we are letting officials off the hook or that some officials are untouchable, is simply not true. Yes, we have challenges, but we are working tirelessly to solve them,” said Wakelin.
These efforts are part of the City’s aim to ensure that its over 20,000 employees are hard at work delivering quality services to all residents within a professional and honest environment.
“Where officials fall short, the employer has a responsibility to evoke consequence management through disciplinary action and to keep a strong accountability system in place,” added Wakelin.
The City has urged all its residents to report any mischievous, illegal, or ill-disciplined behaviour by officials to the Anti-fraud and Corruption Hotline at 080 TSHWANE (080 874 9263).
IOL