A group of young people protested outside Tshwane House, where they called for the restart of the metro police recruitment following complaints of corruption and nepotism.
Image: Rapula Moatshe
A group of young people who marched outside Tshwane House on Thursday are calling for the recent recruitment of 200 metro police officers at the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) to be restarted amid allegations of corruption and nepotism within the department.
They claim they were betrayed after participating in the recent recruitment process, alleging that candidates who failed the physical fitness test were admitted to the training college while qualified candidates were excluded.
One of the protesters, Phemello Sekutu, said corruption stole her dream of becoming a metro police officer.
She claimed she was left out despite passing all the required tests during the recruitment drive.
“I was surprised that people who were turned away at the gate for failing the fitness test were later allowed to sit the English proficiency test. That doesn’t make sense, because usually if you fail the physical test, you are supposed to be eliminated,” she said.
Sekutu said she feels let down by the TMPD and is still waiting for her results after writing the test.
“All I have heard is that some people have already been called for interviews, while the rest of us are still waiting for feedback. What we are demanding is that they either stop the recruitment process and start over, or increase the number of positions for TMPD,” she said.
Another protester, Kgothatso Seesia, echoed the same concerns, saying he personally saw four people who had failed the physical evaluation but were still allowed to write the English proficiency test.
“I also went to the municipal offices recently to check on the recruitment outcome. I was told that some people had come to collect metro police uniforms, and I recognised several who couldn't even get over the wall during the fitness test. It’s not right that some of us had to run and climb while others who failed were let through anyway,” he said.
He alleged that those who failed but are still set to join the metro police training college had bribed recruiters.
“This is why we came to protest at Tshwane House and lodge our grievances,” he said.
A recent memorandum sent to the city alleges that some candidates who failed mandatory physical fitness tests — including the 2.4km run, 1.8m wall jump, and 40kg punching bag carry — were still allowed to move forward in the recruitment process.
The memorandum also claims that the English proficiency test paper was leaked before the exam and that applicants were never given feedback on their results.
The group proceeded with the protest despite an appeal from Hannes Coetzee, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Safety, asking them to be patient while a forensic investigation into the allegations of corruption and nepotism is finalised.
Coetzee said he was aware of the applicants’ complaints and that the Section 79 Committee on Community Safety had already requested a report on the matter and conducted an oversight visit to the site.
He added that the report has since been compiled and tabled in council. He recommended handing the report to the city’s Group Audit and Risk unit for a forensic investigation.
He said the forensic investigation is under way and that if any discrepancy is found, the city must act against those implicated in wrongdoing
“So, we are just waiting for the outcome of the report,” Coetzee said.
rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za