Johannesburg – Traffic cops are up in arms over the move by the City of Ekurhuleni to limit overtime to only 16 hours.
In protest, disgruntled Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department’s (EMPD) officers refused to attend to serious vehicle crashes – including the one that occurred at the junction of the R554 and Rondebult Road, which claimed four lives on Saturday, (1 March 2025).
Unfazed, the City of Ekurhuleni, which runs the EMPD, has vowed to forge ahead with cutting down overtime.
However, the City of Ekurhuleni said the budget for emergency incidents will still be prioritised.
“It was announced last week that our overtime will be reduced to 16 hours,” said a disgruntled traffic officer who asked not to be named.
“Officers wanted to go to the Germiston Council Chamber [At the civic centre] to hand in a memorandum, with certain demands last Thursday, (27 February 2025).
“We were threatened not to go.”
The source claimed the SA Police Service Public Order Police Unit was deployed at the Germiston Civic Centre to prevent protesting traffic cops from going there.
The source said instead of marching to the civic centre, the traffic officers resolved not to work any overtime at all.
“Officers have decided not to work overtime until the employer realises how important it is,” the insider said.
As part of the protest, serious traffic crashes and busy intersections were not being attended to.
“Saturday is very busy with a lot of funerals. Without officers doing point duty, it has been very hectic for the public,” the officer said.
“According to the City of Ekurhuleni’s Finance MMC Jongizizwe Dlabathi, they are cutting costs”.
The officer questioned how they cut costs at EMPD, which provides essential services and generates revenue for the municipality.
The insider explained that the overtime cap of only 16 hours will reduce the take-home pay of traffic cops, whose average salary is about R23 000 per month.
“We are used to more hours,” the insider said.
“Financially, it means more debt because now the budget will be very tight… some officers might commit suicide due to financial problems… or lose marriages,” lamented the traffic cop.
Another office said: “Officers have taken it upon themselves to handle this matter because unions are not helping.
An internal memo seen by The Bulrushes from the Group Chief Financial Officer indicated that overtime be reduced by 50% and acting allowances only considered for critical positions.
Asked to comment on the matter, Dlabathi told The Bulrushes, that “When we are to provide for overtime allowance, it should be on the basis of an emergency.”
Dlabathi added: “You can’t have an allocation of overtime that is not informed by emergency and merely assuming that it must be provided for, and therefore people must work it.
“When we say we are reducing it, it is also informed by affordability, as you know we are trying to rebuild the financial position of the city.
“You can’t provide something that you may not be in a position to cover for it financially.
“All that we are saying is that we believe that we must reduce it and reprioritise overtime… especially on essential areas including departments that are generating revenue on behalf of the city such as EMPD, Energy Department, Water, and Sanitation.”
Dlabathi also said the city is going to cut contracted services so that they can rechannel funds into internal capacity.
He said the municipality wants to use their labour force productively and minimise overtime.
However, the South African Municipal Workers (SAMWU) Ekurhuleni Region said it condemns the introduction of contracted services and the reduction of overtime at Ekurhuleni.
“We condemn the city’s decision to reduce overtime and acting allowances by 50% and to introduce contracted services as a means to address service delivery challenges,” said SAMWU Ekurhuleni Regional Secretary Tshephang Langa.
“This decision is not only ill-considered but also a clear indication that the city is more interested in serving the interests of political elites and their associates rather than the residents of Ekurhuleni.
“As SAMWU, we are convinced that the inclusion of contractors is nothing but a ploy by political parties to funnel municipal resources to their friends and allies, especially with Local Government elections looming next year.”
Langa said the city’s adjustment budget, which reduces employee-related costs and shifts focus to contracted services, is a slap in the face to municipal workers and the communities they serve.
“This move is not about improving service delivery; it is about creating opportunities for political patronage and enriching a select few at the expense of the public,” Langa said.
“The city’s claim that municipal employees are abusing overtime is a smokescreen to justify this reckless decision.
“Instead of addressing the root causes of inefficiencies, such as high vacancy rates and inadequate resource allocation, the city has chosen to scapegoat workers and outsource their responsibilities.”
Langa said the municipality’s failure to consult SAMWU through the legislated Local Labour Forum (LLF) before implementing the decision to cap overtime was a clear violation of labour relations protocols.
“A prudent employer would have engaged organised labour to discuss the implications of such a decision and sought an amicable solution,” Langa said.
“Instead, the city has chosen to act unilaterally, disregarding the voices of those who are most affected.
Langa said SAMWU was “deeply concerned” that this decision was part of a broader strategy to outsource municipal services to contractors.
“We urge the City [of Ekurhuleni] to prioritise the well-being of its employees and the communities they serve, rather than pursuing policies that will only lead to further instability and decline in service delivery,” said Langa.
“As workers and residents of Ekurhuleni, we will not stand idle when the municipality is being handed over to tenderpreneurs on a silver platter.
“We will not be spectators in the deliberate attempt to collapse the internal capacity of the municipality, which we rely on for services.
“SAMWU will be further engaging its membership collective on the shop floor and weighing its legal options to ensure that the rights of municipal workers and the interests of the community are protected.”
