Traffic officers voice concerns over proposed metro police merger

"BEING a traffic officer is more than a job, it is our passion, a career path we chose now the City is trying to change that without giving us a say."

These are the words of a traffic officer who has served the City for many years, who said he is now facing mounting pressure to sign over to a newly proposed amalgamated municipal police force, with Law Enforcement, Metro Police, and Traffic Services merged into one unit. 

While City officials insist that no one is being forced to move to the new unit, officers on the ground tell a different story.

The official amalgamation has been shifted from an October 1 start, to February next year. 

Resistance to the amalgamation has been building since the plan was first announced. If it goes ahead, the role of traffic officers is expected to be altered, with broader duties beyond traditional traffic management now on the table.

Concerns have also been raised that municipalities do not have the legal authority to unilaterally alter, or reassign the powers and functions of traffic officers granted under national laws that govern their duties like the Road Traffic Management Corporation Act (RTMC) and the National Road Traffic Act (NRTA). 

According to the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu), some 2500 of their members in the safety and security directorate will be affected by the move. The union said critical questions about the transition remain unanswered.

“We are urgently requesting information from the City about how the proposed amalgamation will affect our members especially in terms of their finances, working conditions and job descriptions. Our members need to understand what financial implications they will face; what changes they will be subjected to; whether their working hours will be extended and how their roles might shift beyond what they originally signed up for. We are extremely concerned about the lack of transparency. Our members are growing increasingly anxious as they receive instructions to carry out duties that fall outside their current job descriptions. For example, some traffic officers have reportedly been tasked with escorting tourists at Table Mountain or guarding municipal buildings, duties that are far removed from their traditional traffic enforcement roles,” said Samawu’s, Hlalanathi Gagayi.

“We hear that job descriptions may change significantly under the new structure. But we have not been officially informed of what those changes entail. Traffic officers, in particular, are regulated by laws specific to their field. From chiefs you now have new terms introduced like 'commissioner', it is concerning.”   

The matter is currently with the Municipal Managers' Forum (MMF), with answers to their questions expected this week, the union said. 

According to an officer who asked to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation, they were told: “Our overtime we’ve been working will disappear immediately, the transport will disappear and your conditions of service will change to the new service. If you don't go over, there might be a small group of traffic officers who might stay behind and you won't get promotions, you won't get increases and you won't progress anywhere.

“Our suggestion is that the traffic department is a well established place that everybody respects and has been around for over 100 years. Leave the traffic department separate, let them concentrate on the roads as they always have.”

The City said it is implementing a “phased integration of its policing services (Law Enforcement, Metro Police, and Traffic Services) into a unified public safety structure”.

“This initiative is designed to improve operational efficiency, enhance service delivery, and strengthen community safety through coordinated deployment and shared resources. It is expected that a single service would reduce duplication, improve response times and cut costs by streamlining management and infrastructure,” said City spokesperson, Luthando Tyhalibongo said. 

The implementation timeline was changed from October 2025 to February 2026 to “allow for additional training, union engagement, and operational readiness”, Tyhalibongo said. 

“We are actively engaging with unions to address concerns raised during consultations. These matters are best resolved through structured dialogue.” 

On safety concerns, the City said “high-risk environments” are part of the reality of public safety work for all uniformed staff, whether in Traffic, Metro Police, or Law Enforcement. 

“For those who elect to be integrated, a unified job description will be applied. There will be no negative financial impact on staff. Working hours will follow the City’s existing shift systems and no changes to base income are anticipated. As has been consistently communicated to both staff and unions, integration remains voluntary at this stage,” he said.  

Cape Times