As it celebrates its thirty-fifth anniversary, Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) president Thulani Ngwenya called for a review of the operations of South Africa’s justice system to ensure better efficiency and accountability.

Ngwenya was speaking during Popcru's central executive committee meeting, where he pointed out that when crime statistics are released, only the police are held accountable, and not the judiciary.

"We need to ensure greater synergy between the operations of the police, judiciary, and correctional services. The law is clear: the police are responsible for securing the attendance of suspects in court, while the judiciary must punish those who break the law, and correctional services must house and rehabilitate offenders," he explained.

However, he pointed to a disconnect in the process, noting that judges worked limited hours and months, while police and correctional services worked around the clock.

Ngwenya also highlighted the union’s concerns about petty criminals being housed with hardened criminals. 

He called for proposed amendments to the Criminal Procedures Act to be considered to ensure it was relevant to modern crimes, such as cyber crimes, cross-border crimes, and gender-based violence.

He pointed out that despite Popcru’s many engagements with various Ministers over the years, the union's concerns had consistently fallen on "deaf ears". 

"The issues we have raised… such as the need for greater resources, fair and transparent promotion policies, and improved working conditions and infrastructure, have largely been ignored," he said.

However, Ngwenya noted that the new Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald had acknowledged the severe lack of resources and that he had also pledged to implement a shift system, and had agreed on the necessity of the self-sustainability programme, which he said Popcru first tabled in 2015.

FOREIGN POLICY

Meanwhile, he said foreign policy proclamations should remain strictly under President Cyril Ramaphosa's control, calling for the reprimanding of Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen and Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber for making statements about Ukraine and Israel that contradict the South African government’s official position.

Ngwenya advised the Government of National Unity (GNU) to focus on maintaining power and managing internal conflicts, which, if left unchecked, would lead to policy paralysis.

"Major decisions affecting workers’ rights risk being endlessly debated but never implemented due to the incessant arguing among politicians," he explained.

He also warned of a risk of political instability and a lack of a coherent political agenda that could arise from multiple parties sharing governance responsibilities.

He explained that the GNU had significant implications for the historic tripartite alliance consisting of the African National Congress, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), and the South African Communist Party.

He warned Cosatu against amending labour laws.

"If these materialise, we can no longer afford to be complacent or to sit quietly as workers’ rights are undermined. We must act decisively to defend the gains made in our country’s labour laws," Ngwenya said.