NCC investigates financial strain on police officers left with R28 after rental deductions

The National Coloured Congress’s (NCC) Fadiel Adams, who is a member of the Portfolio Committee on Police, has confirmed they are investigating the rental deductions from police officers' bank accounts for barracks they no longer live in, leaving some with just R28 to get by for the month. 

“The NCC is investigating, we do not have all the facts yet, we are still waiting on departmental responses,” said Adams to the Cape Argus.

“For a police force that is already short staffed, under pressure and demoralised, this is probably the best way to put people off from doing their duties.

“You are giving people strain they do not need, people cannot pay their rent and their school fees.

"These people do not have petrol in their cars to get to work and you still expect them to deliver.

"Our communities are suffering because SAPS top management is failing abysmally.

"As the NCC, we are starting to believe that there is a deliberate attempt to collapse the South African Police Service.”

Earlier this week, the Cape Argus exclusively broke the story of the plight of the police officers who were tenants at Parkhof Flats in Kenilworth. 

The officers were evicted and have been subjected to deductions for rental from their salaries of between R4 000 and R8 000 per month since 2022.

In a desperate bid to resolve the matter after approaching SAPS management, human resources, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) and the South African Police Union (Sapu), they turned to the media.

Since the article, media houses and radio stations have been highlighting the officers' plight.

Popcru said the matter was now in the hands of the SAPS National Head Office.

Popcru provincial secretary, Mluleki Mbhele, said they were calling for a refund on all deductions for members.

“This matter is to the extent that some of the members have a state debt against their names causing them to earn to the amount of R28.

"Since November 2024 when this matter was brought to Popcru, we have on several occasions called for the intervention of the Provincial Commissioner and the Deputy Provincial Commissioner Support Services to stop these deductions but without success and as such we are working on the next available course of action.

“The situation is now bad, as you are aware.

“Most of these members earn around R28 a month.

“Members have a responsibility to feed their families and to sustain their lifestyles.

"How can a member sustain him or herself with a salary of R28?

“We want them to stop and we want them to refund all the money they have taken from these members,” Mbhele

Sapu has yet to respond to queries.

One of the 24 affected police officers said they believed it was only former Parkhof tenants who were affected and called on their top structures to assist.

“For this matter to be finalised, the union must call  for accountability from public officials like (Provincial Police CommissionerThembisile) Patekile and (Major General Preston Voskuil). They seem to be a law to themselves; they must be exposed for corruption and misuse of funds.

“The government should serve the people, not personal interests.

“Why is SARS allowing this? Who is the receiver of this money?”

Police spokesperson, Andre Traut, said: “Concerns related to housing and salaries are considered internal matters and are best addressed through our established grievance procedures, which are accessible to every SAPS member." 

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Cape Argus