The relationship between workers and Johannesburg Metro Police chief Chris Ngcobo has been irreparably damaged, a union said on Tuesday.
”The relationship between police and the chief is irreparable … [the City] must bring in someone else to manage that department, be it a women, a man, an Indian, a coloured, it doesn’t matter, but someone else,” South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) spokesperson Dumisani Langa said.
Johannesburg Mayor Amos Masondo last week announced there was no prima facie evidence of misconduct by Ngcobo after the city launched a probe into graft allegations made by Samwu.
The union said it refused to accept the outcome of the investigation.
”We don’t accept the investigation report… those people didn’t understand their terms of reference [of the investigation],” Langa said.
”They were supposed to determine if, on face value, is there a case against Ngcobo. We didn’t ask for a verdict. And we think there is a case for a [disciplinary] hearing.”
The union has written to the city manager asking for a meeting about Ngcobo. In its letter Samwu also requested that the city should not reinstate the metro police chief until it had discussed the matter with the union.
”We strongly believe we need to be heard first before such a decision is made, it will be a blunder for the city to do that [reinstate Ngcobo].”
Ngcobo stepped down in February when the investigation began, to defuse a week-long strike by the union, which included the allegations in its reasons for the work stoppage.
City spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane could not immediately be reached for comment. — Sapa