Cape Town — The suspended head of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD), Isaac Mapiyeye, was accused of running a private police force using unpaid volunteers.
The unpaid volunteers were part of the Community Liaison Unit (CLU) and were thought to be promised permanent posts. Despite no formal appointments, the memebrs were given police vehicles and firearms and deployed into VIP roles, The Citizen reported.
The members carried out arrests and recovered stolen vehicles, while also being detailed to fulfill a crime intelligence role by gathering information over service delivery protests. However, they were never assigned proper jobs or paid for their work.
The volunteers were part of the police reservists and were never permanent EMPD employees, who said the department made them work as officers between 2016 and 2019 with no pay.
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They alleged that Mapiyeye denied appointing them because he had failed to honour his promise to appoint them permanently. The CLU members said they joined the EMPD under Sabelo Ngwenya, whom Mapiyeye authorised to carry out the recruitment.
While the recruits maintain they were promised permanent employment, EMPD media relations specialist, Zweli Dlamini, said the department had no knowledge about it.
The group accuses Mapiyeye, who is suspended following allegations of sexual harassment, of promising them employment if they could get signatures of the people they worked with.
One CLU member, Brian Khumalo, said Mapiyeye had been suspended and General Julius Mkhwanazi would handle the matter, but he refused.
Another former CLU member, Lindi Simunda said they were being neglected after going against their promises, and felt hard done by as they worked hard to serve the country.
They had signed registers to signify their attendance and anyone who claims they did not work for the EMPD, and if that was the case, those arrested should be released.
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Among the arrests include a Katlehong case were suspected were arrested for stealing cables worth R1,8million, while another reported case involved two men who had 8 000 fake electronics valued at R150 000.
The group also believed they were not recruited as they were not ANC members.
EMPD’s Dlamini said: “The city does not believe that it would have been legally allowed to establish an intelligence or criminal investigative unit as we do not have the powers to perform such functions.
Meanwhile, the Ekurhuleni Council are investigating the sexual assault allegations that were levelled against Mapiyeye. He was suspended following claims by a female staff member that he sexually harrassed her. Mapiyeye is also accused of covering up the incident involving his deputy, eNCA reported.
The Council’s Phakamile Mbengashe explained what charges he is facing and what will happen to him.
“There were allegations that arose against the Chief of Police and as a responsible and caring city, we had to take action but within our own internal policies and labour relation laws. The matter has been taken to the attention of council and council has made a determination that some sort of disciplinary action must be tabled against the Chief of Police, Mbengashe said.
He added that the City cares about the brand and its people and the City said it takes a zero-tolerance stance against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) but the city will allow the process to unfold, in the interests of fairness and transparency.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
