POPCRU calls for nationalisation of traffic police
POPCRU president Thulani Ngwenya said traffic officers need better working conditions and support.
Traffic officers conduct checks at a roadblock. Picture: @Dotransport/Twitter
JOHANNESBURG - The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) has called for the nationalisation of traffic police under the Department of Transport.
The call comes after Transport Minister Barbara Creecy on Thursday announced a 3% increase in road accident fatalities since 1 December.
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POPCRU president Thulani Ngwenya said traffic officers need better working conditions and support.
"They don't have a bargaining council which in terms of labour relations, they should have been engaging as they are part of safety and security."
Ngwenya said POPCRU would advocate for immediate reforms, including the nationalisation of traffic police.
"We are calling for the nationalisation. We are calling for the conditions of service to be changed, they are very bad... Cars of traffic officers are not meeting the standard... The cars cannot run in such a way that they can chase the criminals on the road."
Ngwenya said the union also demands immediate action to fill vacancies in the traffic department.