Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi has clarified the ANC regional executive has rejected a proposal to employ foreign nationals as officers in the Johannesburg metropolitan police department (JMPD). Briefing the media at the weekend, ANC regional chairperson Dada Morero, who is also Joburg mayor, suggested during the ANC Johannesburg lekgotla the integration of documented foreign nationals to help address the city's crime challenges. We dont agree with this proposal. We held discussions with our executive mayor, who advised us the ANC Johannesburg lekgotla rejected his proposal, and he fully accepts the decision not to entertain the proposal further. We remain committed to ensuring our law enforcement agencies are appropriately trained to tackle challenges created by crime. Our sincerest apologies for the confusion and pain caused by the proposal, Lesufi said.
Morero, in presenting his idea to the ANC Johannesburg lekgotla, argued that many JMPD officers do not speak foreign languages, it hinders their ability to effectively handle crimes involving individuals from other countries. None of our men and women in uniform can speak any foreign African languages, and the challenge is for us to deal with crime. You can have all your suspects before they write their statements. They can plan what they are going to say in front of you without you hearing what they are saying, Morero said.
In a follow-up interview with eNCA , Morero clarified his proposal was intended to address the difficulties JMPD officers face when dealing with undocumented criminals and those who do not speak South African languages. Unfortunately, the discussions we have entered felt that with high levels of unemployment and so on, the view was lets find alternative methods to address the language barrier, Morero said. He suggested instead of hiring foreign nationals, the focus might shift towards enhancing language training for officers, or using interpreters in court cases to effectively manage language barriers. Morero acknowledged that while the idea might be unconventional, it was a serious attempt to address practical issues within the police force. In the courts a case can be prolonged because we have to procure someone who understands French or any other langua ge which cannot be understood .
TimesLIVE
