The municipal council of eThekwini has green-lit the establishment of a contemporary, completely integrated Metro Police Training College.
The municipality stated in a release that this facility will not just offer three-year NQF Level 6 education but will also bring together specialized training that is presently contracted out at considerable expense.
Nevertheless, Zwakele Mncwango, who serves as the KZN provincial chairman for ActionSA, has cast doubt regarding the suggested adjustments to the remuneration for Metropolitan Police cadets, which was stated to be due to enhancements made to the training premises.
On Thursday, the party issued a statement dismissing a proposal to cut the trainee officers' salaries from R17,000 to R7,000. According to the party, a portion of these wages will instead go towards funding a service provider tasked with managing the day-to-day activities at the Metro police training complex.
Although the party endorsed transforming the current training academy into a cutting-edge center, they emphasized that this development should not occur at the cost of those receiving training within these premises.
According to the new system, trainees who previously received a complete monthly salary of R17 000 will now only get a small allowance of R7 000. The leftover amount of R10 000 per trainee will go towards funding a private contractor, who will manage all day-to-day activities such as preparing meals, maintaining cleanliness, and ensuring safety.
The party asserted that the funding for this should come from the municipality, contending, "This approach clearly exploits our community members. It exemplifies how the municipality excessively depends on external services and contracts — a system that depletes public resources without uplifting municipal employees or generating stable job prospects," they explained.
In reaction, Zandile Myeni, who serves as the deputy mayor of eThekwini and chairs the Safety and Emergency Portfolio Committee, charged ActionSA with spreading misinformation about the issue.
In a statement, she mentioned that the RTMC, which is responsible for managing nationwide traffic law enforcement training, gave an order mandating that all credentials of traffic officers must reach at least NQF Level 6 standards.
This indicates that student officers must now complete an extensive three-year training program, marking a considerable change from the present one-year approach.
"As such, our student officers will be expected to stay in college for three full years to meet academic and practical standards in line with national requirements.
"To comply and to meet our growing internal capacity needs, we have proposed the development of a modern, fully integrated Metro Police Training College, which the council approved today (Thursday)."
The statement said this institution will not only accommodate the three-year NQF Level 6 training but will also centralise specialised training that is currently outsourced at a high cost.
The new college will incorporate:
- Training for dog handlers (which is currently contracted out)
- Advanced training for smart policing and monitoring systems
- Horse unit training (presently contracted out)
- High-level driving instruction for performance vehicles (at present, just one exists nationwide, located in Pretoria).
- Target shooting facility and tactical weapons instruction (which is currently contracted out)
The statement indicated that the Durban Metro Police is presently the sole training facility in South Africa that provides students with a complete monthly salary of R17,000 whilst they undergo their training.
This model has proven feasible solely within a one-year training period. Extending the program to three years makes it economically unviable to provide complete salaries to student officers before they are operationally deployed.
The municipality stated that as a result, student officers will get an allowance of R7,000 each month throughout their training period. The leftover amount of R10,000 for every student monthly will go to the service provider to manage the operation of the college, which includes expenses like lodging, food, janitorial services, safety measures, and administrative tasks.
The municipality stated that they will release a Request for Proposal (RFP) aimed at finding a private entity capable of financing, building, and overseeing the operation of the college. The chosen service provider would operate this facility over a set timeframe; subsequently, complete possession and management authority will return to the Durban Metro Police Service.
THE MERCURY
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