The eThekwini Municipality's council has approved the development of a modern, fully integrated Metro Police Training College.
The municipality said in a statement that this institution will not only provide three-year NQF Level 6 training but will also centralise specialised training that is currently outsourced at a high cost.
However, ActionSA's KZN provincial chairperson Zwakele Mncwango has raised questions about the proposed changes to the salary for Metro police trainees which they said came as a result of the upgrade of the training facility.
The party released a statement on Thursday, rejecting a plan to reduce the salary of the trainees from the current R17 000 to R7 000. The party said part of their salary will now be used to pay a service provider responsible for the daily operations of the Metro police training facility.
While the party expressed its support for the conversion of the existing training academy to a state-of-the-art facility. It said this upgrade must not come at the expense of those who undergo training in these facilities.
“Under the new model, trainees who currently receive a full salary of R17 000 will now receive a mere stipend of R7 000 per month. The remaining R10 000 per trainee will be allocated to a private service provider, who will also be responsible for daily operations, including cooking, cleaning, and security.
The party stated that this should be funded by the municipality, arguing, “This model is a clear exploitation of our people. It represents yet another example of the municipality’s overreliance on outsourcing and contracting – a practice that drains public funds and fails to empower municipal workers or create sustainable employment opportunities,” it said.
In response, eThekwini deputy mayor and chairperson of chairperson of the Safety and Emergency Portfolio Committee, Zandile Myeni, accused ActionSA of misinformation on the matter.
In a statement, she said that the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), the national authority overseeing traffic law enforcement training, issued a directive requiring all traffic officer qualifications to be upgraded to NQF Level 6.
This means student officers will now have to undergo a full three-year training programme, a significant shift from the current one-year model.
"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:
- Dog handler training (currently outsourced)
- Smart policing and surveillance systems training
- Horse unit training (currently outsourced)
- Advanced high-performance vehicle driver training (currently, there is only one in the country, and it is in Pretoria.
- Shooting range and tactical firearms training (currently outsourced)
The statement noted that Durban Metro Police is currently the only training institution in South Africa that pays students a full salary of R17,000 per month while they are still in training.
"This model has only been viable for the one-year training cycle. With training extending to three years, it is not financially sustainable to pay full salaries to student officers who have not yet been deployed operationally."
The municipality said student officers will therefore now receive a stipend of R7 000 per month during training. The remaining R10 000 per student per month will be paid to the service provider to cover the operational running of the college, including accommodation, meals, cleaning, security, and administration.
The municipality said it will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to identify a private service provider who can fund, construct, and manage the college. This service provider will manage the institution for an agreed period, after which, full ownership and control will revert to the Durban Metro Police Service.