2 Pregnant Women Forced Out of SAPS Academy Midway Through Training, Union Challenges Dismal

• Two pregnant women were kicked out of the All Saints Police Academy midway through the training
• The Police, Prisons and Civil Rights Union in the Eastern Cape is against the termination of the women’s contracts
• According to SAPS, trainees are obligated to comply with the requirements for physical fitness

EASTERN CAPE - Two women were kicked out of the All Saints Police Academy after it was discovered that they were pregnant. The women were midway through the training programme.

An investigation into the matter is being conducted. The Police, Prisons and Civil Rights Union (Popcru) in the Eastern Cape told News24 that it was against the termination of the women’s contracts. The union’s Provincial Secretary Xolani Prusente said the trainees’ contracts have been suspended, and they have been removed from the campus. Popcru said the move is unfair and that the women should be allowed to complete their training after maternity.

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The matter had been escalated to the national office. One of the women was seven months pregnant when she realised she was pregnant and gave birth prematurely. The other was four months pregnant when it was noticed.

According to SAPS, trainees are obligated to comply with the requirements for physical fitness as prescribed by the law.

South Africans call for the removal of the pregnant women to be reconsidered:

Mfundo Innocent Mncina said:

“Recruiters are at fault, they should have done medical tests to see if no woman was pregnant before being selected for the training. They should not be stripped of their desire to become police officers, when the next group go again, they should be tagged along. Not a big issue but it’s SAPS fault, not the women’s.”

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Devine Power commented:

“Hope they will be allowed to go back after maternity leave, as women we go through a lot and we are mostly discriminated, if you are pregnant in school you have to raise the baby, sometimes is hard to be a lady. all pressure is on us.”

Kenny Kane wrote:

“Patriarchy - leave them and they be involved in lighter exercises and maybe be placed in a job that requires mental skills than manual skills...we see policemen doing certifying of documents rather than preventing and combating crime.”

Sphithi Njomane added:

“Investigation must probe, how did they get in from the start in that academy if there were a requirement stated!”

South African Police Union calls out Bheki Cele for linking tattoos to gangsterism, plans to challenge SAPS

In a related matter, Briefly News also reported Police Minister Bheki Cele has received some backlash from the South African Police Union (Sapu) for a comment he made earlier this week about people who have tattoos.

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Cele made his comment while he was visiting the Nomzamo informal settlement in Soweto, Johannesburg where at least 16 people were gunned down at a tavern over the weekend.

Source: Briefly News