Minister of Police, Bheki Cele has called on police management to follow due process in dealing with staff and ensure deserving members are promoted. This came, Cele said in a press conference on Thursday 14 March, as social media reports suggested SAPS members were planning to embark on a strike.
Cele said there was a backlog of 69 219 South African Police Service promotions dating back to 2011/2012. Cele said there was currently a backlog in the grade progression of employees between levels 5 and 7.
“We call on the management to follow due process during the promotions and ensure deserving members must be promoted,” Cele said. “We hope that this initiative will boost the morale of our police officers to enable them to execute their task optimally. Going forward we will be working on the embetterment of the member’s conditions of employment”.
Cele said he would be meeting in Pretoria with the station commanders of all of the 1147 police stations in the country, as well as Provincial and National SAPS management, on Monday, 18 March 2019.
“It is also imperative to note that out of the set target of 3500 entry level trainees as announced in the Budget Vote, the SAPS exceeded the target and enlisted a total of 5000 entry level trainees out of a number of 517 000 applicants,” Cele said.
“In relation to the recruitment of entry level trainees, we have noted with concern some objections regarding the legitimacy of the SAPS recruitment process from those who have not met the criteria after undergoing a rigorous selection process. The national commissioner and myself are processing this matter in detail internally and will pronounce on a way forward in due course.”
He said the promotions process would cost R2 billion.
APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS IN SAPS
ENLISTMENTS
Entry Level Trainees
3500
1 January 2019Public Service Act
600
1 November 2018PROMOTIONS/GRADE PROGRESSION
Post Promotions
1200
1 June 2018Post Promotions
1000
1 September 2018Post Promotions
1000
1 February 2019Grade Progression
28000
1 March 2019In addition nine hundred and fourteen members from the specialised units namely, the Special Task Force, TRT and the National Intervention Unit, including the commencement level of the Public Service Act personnel, would be re-graded during this financial year.
