Mzuthini fires 6 warders

One officer was fired for sleeping on the job.

The officer was found sleeping at his post in the correctional facility while sentry on imates.

His gun lay idle next to him.

Another officer was found drunk at his workstation while some absented themselves from work for prolonged periods of time without a valid reason.

The expelled officers were based in Big Bend, Mbabane and Matsapha Correctional facilities.

The Commissioner said the offences the six officers were accused of were very serious and it was not the first time they were found to have broken the department’s codes.

The officers had to be removed because they had other cases which they were found guilty of but were given warnings.

He said it was the first time in many years that his department was compelled to dismiss numerous officers.

He noted that there was a visable decay in discipline among officers.

"We will weed out all the rotten potatoes. All those who were ill disciplined should be warned. They will lose their jobs," he asserted.

He said he took no exception when officers deliberately engaged in delinquency.

"It may not be possible for us to rehabilitate officers and offenders at the same time. All those who are wayward will be fired," he said.

He said the fired officers were accorded fair hearings where their cases were deliberated on.

They were found guilty and expelled.

He warned that he would not hesitate to fire people who were unmanageable because the department fell among the disciplined forces.

He said there were many cases his disciplinary committee had to deal with than in the previous year.

The Commissioner said last year the department expelled only two officers.

The department employs 3 000 officers and is currently engaged in a process to recruit 150 more.

The Commissioner said he was disappointed by the behaviour of most officers.

He said officers behaved as though they were indispensible and never cared about the importance of their jobs.

"We are forced to take the hard decision to fire them because they seemingly do not realise the importance of their work," he said

"These people have families and children who they take care of with their salaries. It is always hard to fire them because we have to consider all those factors."

The Commissioner said before officers were expelled, their offences were discussed at length.

"I sit down with them to review the recommendation of the disciplinary committee and if it is found that they had previous cases of ill discipline it is always difficult to save them," he said.

He said officers had personal files where everything pertaining to their work was recorded.

Ntshangase said in some instances officers were suspended for periods of up to six months with the aim of warning them that they were on the verge of losing their jobs.

He said after serving the suspensions, some revert to their old deviances.

He will soon visit all the departments’ centres where he will address officers on the subject of discipline.

The Commissioner also warned aspiring officers on the importance of discipline.

He said the over 12 000 applications received by the department was a sign that there was a serious problem of lack of jobs in the country.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: