Traffic officers treated inhumanely‚ says union

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) has defended the traffic officers who were photographed in Mpumalanga sleeping on the side of the road with their weapons visible.

The Road Traffic Management Traffic Corporation (RTMC) slammed the officers for allegedly refusing to use accommodation booked for them.

"Twenty officers have intransigently refused to occupy rooms that were booked for them at Komatipoort in Mpumalanga‚ opting to sleep out in the open‚” the RMTC said in a statement on Friday. “Through their conduct‚ the officers have brought the corporation and the entire government into disrepute and undermined government efforts to improve safety on the roads over the Easter period.”

Popcru said it was trying to verify the claim and why the officers rejected the accommodation.

“It is disheartening that this happened. These guys are overworked‚ especially during festive and Easter seasons‚” said Popcru spokesman Richard Mamabolo.

Mamabolo said officers often do not complain or retaliate because they are “threatened with suspensions and dismissals”.

He alleged such mistreatment towards officers is not nothing new in the organisation.

“I think the treatment these officers have been receiving from the RTMC has been inhuman. This is on the basis that even in Centurion; they are housed at an open veld with 1 toilet‚ which has to be shared by both males and females. This is a health hazard and management has not done much to change these conditions.” said Mamabolo.