The African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng rejected the Johannesburg region chairperson Dada Morero’s proposal to employ legally documented foreign nationals to help fight crime in his city.
Morero, who is the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) mayor, told the ANC’s REC Lekgotla that the City was considering employing foreigners as metro police to tackle crime due to their understanding of foreign languages.
“It might be a culture shock to suggest to this REC that if we are serious about fighting crime, we have no option but those that are properly documented can be recruited to the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD),” he said.
Crime, lawlessness, corruption, violence, and hijacking of buildings are some of the most common factors that are contributing to the city’s collapse.
Hijacked, abandoned, dilapidated buildings, and shacks have become home for many families in Gauteng, particularly in Joburg in recent decades as the province was increasingly under threat of overpopulation.
Gauteng ANC chairperson Panyaza Lesufi said they have rejected the suggestion and that this won’t be entertained going forward.
“We don’t agree with this proposal. We held discussions with our Regional Chairperson and Executive Mayor Dada Morero who advised us that the ANC Johannesburg Lekgotla rejected his proposal and he fully accepts the decision not to entertain this proposal further,” he said on X (formerly Twitter).
“We remain committed to ensuring that our law enforcement agencies are appropriately trained to tackle challenges created by crime.”
He further extended his apologies to South Africans for the confusion and pain caused by the proposal.
This comes at the back of the high unemployment rate in South Africa, where young South Africans are sitting at home with skills, qualifications, and experience.
Meanwhile, ActionSA has also rejected enlisting foreign nationals as JMPD officers.
“ActionSA wishes to make it clear that we reject this idea and will oppose it should it ever come before the Council,” Caucus leader Nobuhle Mthembu said.
“This matter is not up for debate, as the very requirements to serve in the JMPD stipulate that an applicant must be a South African citizen. Therefore, this idea is a dead end.”
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