Betty Moleya
Pretoria - Data typists at the SAPS staged a peaceful march to deliver a memorandum of grievances to management.
The Public Service Act members within SAPS said they were unhappy that although they worked for 24 hours they did not receive night shift and danger allowance.
“We are saying to the Police Ministry that since 10111 officers have been transferred from the Public Service Act to the Police Act, the same must be done with data typists,” their spokesperson said.
The typists said they performed the same duties as 10111 officers.
“The importance of data typists is that we are keeping the public updated with case numbers. If there is no case number, there will be no investigation.
“When the minister announces crime statistics, it is because of us. We are the ones capturing those crimes.”
Their working conditions were also of concern to them as they did not have a danger allowance to cover them in the event that they were injured while on duty.
The protesters said a data typist was killed in Malamulele in Limpopo recently, but it was not mentioned in the media as it would have raised questions.
“They knew that the media would ask questions (as to) why only police officers had bulletproofs, while a clerk did not.
“When you get injured in the line of duty as a Public Service Act member, it will be a ‘sorry’, but then all will be okay.”
The members said if a police station were to be robbed, they could get mistaken for a police officer. The only difference was they did not wear uniforms.
Another grievance was the lack of growth within their department. They said they could work for 20 years without promotion, while members in other departments could get promoted. “Promotions are not even advertised in our department. What is heartbreaking is that Public Service Act members in supply chain or HR can grow.”
Another data typist said as the security cluster was in siege, the minister must transfer all members to the Police Act so that they could have a constitutional mandate.
Another concern was that data typists who worked alone in some stations were constantly under pressure. “They are not supposed to feel unwell. If you are sick, you must work.”
They said they had tried to engage with their management on several occasions, but their grievances had fallen on deaf ears.
They have given Police Minister Bheki Cele 14 days to respond to their memorandum of grievances.
Pretoria News