Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union-POPCRU

Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union-POPCRU The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union [POPCRU] is a trade union organisation in South Africa operating within the [SAPS],[DCS] and the Traffic........

Historical Overview: The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union [POPCRU] is a trade union organisation in South Africa operating within the South African Police Service [SAPS], the Department of Correctional Services [DCS] and the Traffic component. POPCRU represents more than hundred and fifty thousand [150 000] Police, Corrections and Traffic Officials. This gigantic movement was established on t

he 5th November 1989 at the height of the liberation struggle within the country. Prior to the establishment of POPCRU, institutional racism was entrenched within the Public Service and the three departments where we operate were the implementer of such atrocious practices. There was huge salary disparity among various racial groupings, Blacks being the least paid. There were serious challenges with regard to the promotions of those who were regarded as the inferior race – Blacks. Some Black correctional officials were eve housed in prison cells as the system failed to recognise them as normal workers. Collective bargaining was a pipe dream. Founding Principles: When it was founded in 1989, POPCRU served as a voice for Black security services members who were compelled to enforce unjust laws of the apartheid regime. Black police officials were chased away from the communities they had to work for because they were serving an unjust system. POPCRU’s further founding belief was to integrate them back into the community. It struggled for the establishment of collective bargaining structures in order to improve the conditions of service in the departments within which POPCRU organization. Motto: POPCRU’s motto is “Justice for All”. This slogan has helped drive the ideological principle and operation of this movement to fight for justice for all workers security cluster from the time of its inception to date. Challenges: Due to the system which was governing South Africa at the time, the union had to operate in a hostile political environment. Police and Prisons authorities refused to recognize the union until 1993 and 1994 respectively. In fact, when it was established the National Commissioner of the then South African Police Force, vowed that there would never be a union in the police in his life time. As a result thereof, there could be no access to a subscription deduction facility. The police and prison services prior the democratic breakthrough were divided along racial lines. The union was hardly a year old when it embarked on its first national strike in 1990 which was followed by mass dismissals and suspensions of its members. There was frustration over the slow pace of transformation and resistance to change. When the police management noticed the inevitable reality that POPCRU was there to stay and grow, they sponsored and encouraged the formation of a rival union. The serious challenge was the non-acceptance of police and prison officials by communities, leading to the rise in police killings by the communities. There was internal organisational infighting propelled by the surrogates planted by the then management of the SAP, which somewhat led to the inter-departmental rivalry, especially between the police and corrections officials. Breakthrough: POPCRU was able to build relations with management over a period of time and have since driven the establishment and maintenance of independent bargaining structures in all sectors. There is continued interaction and significant improvement on relations with the community. We have since made sure that the work place is de-racialised. Through POPCRU’s hard struggles, the transformation agenda has been taken forward within all the departments where it operates, including active and meaningful participation in policy formulation. Union Successes: POPCRU membership has grown from thirty thousand [30 000] in its first 5 years to more than hundred and fifty [150 000] in 23 years. POPCRU has nine Provincial offices across the country and one National Office in Auckland Park. Of all the ten offices, five are owned by the organization [National Office, Limpopo, Eastern Cape and Western Cape & North West]. The union has a staff complement of more seventy [70] which strengthen its internal delivery machinery. POPCRU has embarked on leadership and membership development programs fully sponsored by the union. The union has managed to establish five [05] departments in response to membership growth and service delivery namely: Secretariat, Bargaining, Organizing, Finance and Legal. International Projects: We have hosted three successful International Symposiums on Police Labour Relations since 2002. The first symposium was convened in Durban – South Africa in 2002, 2006 at Maseru in Lesotho and 2009 at Gaborone in Botswana. Such symposium had positive spin-offs because union movements were established out of such influence in Swaziland, Lesotho and Botswana. Affiliation: POPCRU is an affiliate of Congress of the South African Trade Unions [COSATU] and the World Federation of Trade Unions [WFTU]. There is active participation in these two formations by the movement. Conclusion: Our continued fight over the last 22 years has been inspired by the quest for justice for all and fairness. We hold the view that labour rights cannot be separated from human rights. The essence of collective leadership has kept us going over the years. We shall continue to wage our struggles alongside community struggles.

07/09/2026

Media Statement

*POPCRU North West concerned over Rooigrond escape as dilapidated infrastructure continues to undermine security*

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) in the North West Province has noted with serious concern the escape of an inmate from the Rooigrond Correctional Centre during the early hours of Sunday, 6 September 2026.

POPCRU understands that one inmate escaped from the facility. While the precise circumstances and method through which the inmate escaped must be established through an urgent investigation by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), this incident cannot be separated from the longstanding infrastructural challenges confronting Rooigrond Correctional Centre.

POPCRU has consistently raised concerns about the deteriorating state of correctional infrastructure and the consequences this has for the safety of our members, inmates and surrounding communities. A correctional centre can only remain secure when the physical infrastructure designed to contain inmates and protect officials is properly maintained and fit for purpose. Dilapidated buildings, compromised security infrastructure and delayed maintenance inevitably increase the risks confronting correctional officials who are expected to maintain security under increasingly difficult conditions.

The concerns at Rooigrond are not new, nor can they simply be dismissed as perceptions raised by organised labour. Parliamentary oversight has previously identified serious challenges at the facility. During an oversight visit to Rooigrond, Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services heard about water shortages caused by clogged pipes and was informed of frustration over the slow pace at which the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure was responding to problems at the centre. Three contractors that had been sourced to address water-supply problems had reportedly had their services terminated because of non-delivery.

More recent reporting by the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) paints an equally disturbing picture. Its 2025/26 third-quarter reporting rated Rooigrond Medium A as unsatisfactory and recorded that the centre was housing 788 inmates against approved accommodation for 645, representing approximately 22% overcrowding. JICS further identified dilapidated infrastructure, including broken windowpanes, leaking roofs, poorly maintained ablution facilities and severe water shortages that resulted in reliance on JoJo tanks.

These findings must be taken seriously because infrastructure deterioration and overcrowding are not merely matters of appearance or inmate comfort. They have direct security implications. DCS itself acknowledges in its 2026/27 Annual Performance Plan that ageing and outdated infrastructure, gangsterism and overcrowding exacerbate security incidents in correctional facilities. The Department further acknowledges that infrastructure challenges remain significant nationally, with two correctional facilities not in use because of dilapidation and approximately 80% of facilities at or above capacity.

It is therefore unacceptable that correctional officials should be expected to compensate through human effort for infrastructure that is no longer adequately supporting the security function of correctional facilities. Our members cannot become the human substitute for broken infrastructure, delayed maintenance and years of insufficient investment.

Of further concern is that this is not the first escape incident associated with Rooigrond Medium A. In March 2022, POPCRU condemned the escape of four inmates from the same centre after it was reported that they had cut through window bars and used sheets in escaping through the facility's security perimeter. The occurrence of another escape should therefore compel DCS to determine whether vulnerabilities previously identified were comprehensively addressed and whether the current physical security arrangements remain appropriate for the inmate population housed at the centre.

POPCRU North West cautions strongly against any premature attempt to make individual correctional officials convenient scapegoats before the circumstances surrounding this latest escape have been properly investigated. Accountability is necessary wherever negligence is established, but accountability must apply equally to those responsible for maintaining infrastructure, filling vacancies, providing security equipment and ensuring that correctional centres remain structurally secure.

The investigation must therefore go beyond establishing who was on duty when the inmate escaped. It must establish how the inmate breached the security system; whether any part of the physical infrastructure contributed to the escape; whether the relevant security equipment was functional; whether staffing levels during the shift were adequate; whether established security procedures were followed; and whether previously reported infrastructural defects at the facility had been attended to.

There must also be an immediate security assessment of the entire Rooigrond facility, including cells, windows, doors, locks, perimeter fencing, lighting, surveillance systems and any other infrastructure whose deterioration could potentially facilitate further escapes or compromise the safety of officials.

The Department of Correctional Services and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure must further provide clear timelines for outstanding maintenance and refurbishment projects at Rooigrond. The practice of repeatedly identifying infrastructure deficiencies through inspections, parliamentary oversight visits and engagements with organised labour without achieving permanent solutions cannot continue indefinitely.

POPCRU has consistently argued that the crisis facing correctional facilities across the country requires a fundamental shift away from reactive maintenance. Nationally, DCS has itself acknowledged the extent of the problem, noting that infrastructure challenges affect security, healthcare, rehabilitation and other core functions within correctional centres.

Correctional officials work in an inherently dangerous environment. They supervise inmates with different security classifications, manage overcrowded facilities, confront gangsterism and contraband, respond to violence and are expected to prevent escapes. The very least the employer can do is provide them with infrastructure and equipment capable of supporting them in carrying out these responsibilities safely.

POPCRU North West therefore calls for the immediate investigation of the circumstances surrounding Sunday's escape; an urgent and comprehensive security and infrastructure assessment at Rooigrond; accelerated repair and refurbishment of compromised infrastructure; an assessment of staffing levels and security equipment; and clear accountability and implementation timelines from both DCS and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

We further call upon law-enforcement agencies to intensify efforts to locate and rearrest the escaped inmate. Members of the public should not attempt to apprehend the individual themselves but should provide any relevant information to the appropriate authorities.

This escape must serve as a warning. Correctional security cannot be maintained indefinitely through the dedication of officials while the physical environment around them continues to deteriorate. Secure correctional centres require secure infrastructure, sufficient personnel and properly resourced officials.

POPCRU North West will closely monitor both the investigation into the escape and the employer's response to the broader infrastructural problems at Rooigrond. We will continue demanding that our members are provided with a safe working environment and will resist any attempt to shift systemic institutional failures onto frontline correctional officials.

Issued by POPCRU North West Province on 07/09/2026

For more information contact Johannes Dire (Provincial Secretary) on 073 240 1784

As we close Women's Month, we honour the women of POPCRU's national leadership who carry the spirit of "Wathinta Abafazi...
31/08/2026

As we close Women's Month, we honour the women of POPCRU's national leadership who carry the spirit of "Wathinta Abafazi, Wathinta Imbokodo" in everything they do - in their conduct, leadership, struggle, and in service to POPCRU and its members.

To every woman who stands up for herself, and in doing so stands up for all women: your strength moves society forward.

*POPCRU Limpopo’s Makhado Local gives back to the community*POPCRU Limpopo, through the Makhado Local, has successfully ...
28/08/2026

*POPCRU Limpopo’s Makhado Local gives back to the community*

POPCRU Limpopo, through the Makhado Local, has successfully hosted a fun day at Tshilwavhusiku Razwimisani Special School, a school dedicated to empowering learners with intellectual disabilities.

The school continues to play an important role in helping learners develop independence and practical skills, including welding, cooking, hairdressing, plumbing and carpentry.

As part of the programme, POPCRU handed over toiletry packs to more than 200 learners, made possible through the generous support of Phadziri Bus Service, Mahirimisa Bus Service, Leela Inn and Makhado Beer Distributor.

POPCRU Limpopo extends its appreciation to the school principal, Mrs Ramutshila, the entire staff and the School Governing Body for welcoming the organisation and for the important work they continue to do in developing and supporting the learners.

This initiative forms part of POPCRU’s commitment to community upliftment and to building a caring society in which no one is left behind.

28/08/2026

A look back at last Friday's undeniable energy as we pushed forward with purpose. This is what unity in action looks like.

27/08/2026

Throwing it back to Day 3 of the CEC - the real work happening in the commissions. Long hours, deep discussions, and delegates laying down the actual groundwork for the organisation.

POPCRU Free State Provincial Office Bearers are meeting with G4S members who are yet to be absorbed by the Department of...
26/08/2026

POPCRU Free State Provincial Office Bearers are meeting with G4S members who are yet to be absorbed by the Department of Correctional Services in terms of the Section 197 process.

The engagement, which includes both Provincial and National leadership, forms part of POPCRU’s ongoing efforts to ensure that all outstanding matters affecting these members are urgently addressed and that no worker is left behind in the transfer process.

POPCRU remains committed to defending the employment rights, job security and conditions of service of all affected members, and will continue engaging the relevant authorities until the Section 197 process is fully and fairly concluded.

26/08/2026

Throwing it back to the electric energy of Day 2 at the CEC! Flashback to powerful discussions, unmatched unity, and revolutionary spirit that keeps us moving forward.

22/08/2026

POLICE AND PRISONS CIVIL RIGHTS UNION



POPCRU CENTRAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
DECLARATION
18- 22 AUGUST 2026
BIRCHWOOD HOTEL AND OR TAMBO CONFERENCE CENTRE, BOKSBURG

PREAMBLE

We, delegates to the 2026 Central Executive Committee of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU), representing members organised across the South African Police Service, Department of Correctional Services, Traffic, Border Management and other components of the Criminal Justice Cluster, gathered from 18 to 22 August 2026 to grapple and scrutinise the political, organisational, bargaining and sectoral challenges confronting our members and the working class broadly. The CEC further allows us an opportunity to assess a progress registered in implementation of resolutions adopted in the previous CEC.
We met at a time of persistent unemployment, poverty and inequality; a rising cost of living; continuing attacks on collective bargaining; austerity measures that weaken the capacity of the state; unacceptable levels of violent crime; deteriorating public infrastructure; overcrowded correctional facilities; inadequate staffing across the Criminal Justice Cluster; and growing political uncertainty within the broader progressive movement.

COSATU AND THE UNITY OF THE WORKING CLASS

We are converging at the time when the country is two months away from holding Local Government Elections (LGE), whilst our federation COSATU is, in less than a month, convening its 15th National Congress. This CEC, therefore, afforded us an opportunity to conceptualise an informed perspective that will help us contribute towards the unity of the federation in its imminent 15th National Congress. The CEC reaffirms POPCRU's commitment to COSATU and to building a strong, militant, independent and worker-controlled trade union movement. The Federation must emerge from its Congress stronger, more united and more firmly rooted in workplaces.

The CEC, following robust and frank deliberations informed by prevailing political climate, particularly in the Tri-Alliance, declares the sacrosanctity of the unity of the workers an uncompromisable tenet of labour movement. Our history teaches us that all gains workers have achieved were won through organisation, solidarity and collective action. It equally teaches us that whenever workers are fragmented, employers and the forces opposed to transformation become stronger. We further say that, to quell swirling tensions within the Alliance, COSATU must urgently facilitate the convention of an Alliance Summit that will inter alia conceptualise the Conference of the Left.

DEFENDING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

The CEC reaffirms that collective bargaining remains the cornerstone of trade unionism and one of the most important instruments through which workers exercise collective power. We reject unilateral fiscal decisions that override agreements negotiated freely and concluded with organised labour. Government cannot invite workers to negotiate and thereafter treat signed agreements as optional. POPCRU will therefore intensify its defence of collective bargaining within the councils and all other structures where our members' conditions of service are negotiated. The CEC further directs that every signed agreement and every organisational resolution must have an implementation plan, clear timelines and accountability mechanisms.

FIGHTING AUSTERITY AND DEFENDING THE PUBLIC SERVICE

The CEC notes persistent budget cuts that result in frozen vacancies, understaffed stations, overloaded detectives, overcrowded correctional facilities and deteriorating public infrastructure ultimately punish workers and poor communities. These austerity measures pursued by government, in a pragmatic sense, defy the very same aspirations of building a capable state.

The CEC calls for the filling of funded vacancies, increased investment in frontline services, improved infrastructure, adequate operational resources and a developmental economic programme capable of creating employment and expanding the productive capacity of our economy. Public servants must not be made scapegoats for economic failures they did not create.

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES

The CEC remains deeply concerned about conditions within the Department of Correctional Services. Overcrowding, understaffing, deteriorating infrastructure, occupational safety, conditions of service and delays in implementing agreements continue to place enormous pressure on correctional officials.

POPCRU has engaged the Department repeatedly and in good faith. Our patience, however, must never be confused with weakness. The CEC directs the Union to hold DCS accountable for every commitment made to workers and to intensify mobilisation. The visit to the DCS Head Offices by NOB’s, as resolved by the NEC, who were later joined by delegates to this CEC, was a prelude to series of programs of actions that will follow across the country to counter the arrogance of the department.

SAPS, POLICE KILLINGS AND RESOURCING

The continued killing of police officers remains an attack on the authority of the state and on the safety of society as a whole. The CEC calls for decisive implementation of interventions against police killings, which amongst others include introduction of a Bill prescribing harsher penalties on those who attack or commit police killings. In order to effectively combat crime, the police officers must be well resourced, receive appropriate tactical training and most importantly forge a strong and sustainable partnerships between law-enforcement agencies and communities.

GEMS AND AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE

The CEC expresses serious concern regarding the continued escalation of medical scheme contributions and the increasing financial burden imposed upon public servants. The salary increases cannot continue to be swallowed by medical aid increases, food prices, transport costs and other unavoidable household expenses.
As the Scheme premiums remain exorbitant and unaffordable to public servants, the CEC resolved to withdraw from GEMS agreement and pursue other unions to favourably consider the same.

SINGLE POLICE SERVICE AND TRAFFIC POLICING

The CEC reaffirms POPCRU's longstanding demand for a Single Police Service under one national command. The continued fragmentation of policing produces unequal standards of training, remuneration, working conditions and accountability. The CEC therefore directs POPCRU to intensify political and policy engagement towards the realisation of the Single Police Service. This is based on the 52nd ANC resolutions that advocated the creation of Single Policing as enshrined in section 199(1) of the South African constitution.

ORGANISATIONAL RENEWAL AND WORKPLACE POWER

POPCRU's strength begins and ends with its members, therefore, every workplace must have active structures. The organisational renewal will imply that shop stewards must be accountable, whilst every elected leader remains, at all times, accessible to members.

Political education must be strengthened so that POPCRU develops activists who understand that workplace struggles are connected to broader struggles against inequality, unemployment, austerity and exploitation. We must remain in constant touch with members by holding monthly general meetings across the country.

Apart from the membership mobilisation, the organisation must build a well-oiled administrative machinery with the filling of critical vacant positions wherever they exist, while implementing the organisational restructuring as resolved.

TOWARDS POPCRU'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY

As POPCRU advances towards its 40th anniversary, the CEC resolves that, this historic milestone must become more than a celebration. The road towards 40 years must therefore, reconnect POPCRU with its history, honour its pioneers, preserve organisational memory, intensify recruitment and strengthen the Union at workplace level. We must hand to future generations a POPCRU that is stronger and more united.

This CEC resolved that, to give befitting festivities to this 40th Anniversary, the National Congress and Provincial Congresses that were scheduled to happen in 2027 and 2028 be deferred to 2029 and 2030 respectively. This effectively means that the National Congress shall coincides with the 40th Anniversary of POPCRU in 2029.The term of office for office bearers be attended from 4 to 5 years and such to follow processes towards constitutional amendments in 2029.With these resolutions, it must be taken into cognizance that the organisation shall therefore not have CEC in 2027. This is however a blessing in disguise, considering prevailing circumstances in our sectors where we organise. In July 2027, on the dates still to be determined, the organisation must convene the second instalment of National Policing Indaba. We further resolved that our business ownership, be diversified to mitigate risks.

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY

The CEC reaffirms that working-class solidarity does not end at national borders. POPCRU stands with the people of Palestine in their struggle for freedom, justice and self-determination. We reaffirm solidarity with Cuba against economic blockades, with the people of Western Sahara in their struggle for self-determination, with workers and democratic forces in eSwatini, and with workers everywhere confronting exploitation, imperialism and oppression.

To enhance regional solidary, POPCRU, together with its fraternal labour formations in the SADC region, initiated the formation of the Regional Public Sector Trade Unions Forum. The primary mission and objectives of the forum, are centred on coordinating trade unions, to influence policy and protect the interests of public sector workers across the SADC and AU regions. A constitution was drafted which will serve as a roadmap for cross-border cooperation and advocacy, for fair labour standards in the African public sector. It will be prudent that, with the amount of work already put into this endeavour, POPCRU must put more efforts for the launch of this forum to take place around November 2027.

CONCLUSION

This CEC emerges clear about the task before us. The working class cannot afford divisions. Our common enemy is poverty, inequality, exploitation, austerity, privatisation, unsafe workplaces, and weakened collective power of workers. We therefore declare:

Worker unity is sacrosanct.
We shall defend it.
Collective bargaining is non-negotiable.
We shall protect it.
Signed agreements and resolutions must be implemented.
We shall enforce them.
Austerity is weakening the state and attacking workers.
We shall resist it.

And wherever the rights, dignity and livelihoods of workers are threatened, POPCRU shall be there.
As we march towards four decades of POPCRU, ours is not simply a responsibility to celebrate history.

Our responsibility is to make history.
To organise where workers are unorganised.
To unite where workers have been divided.
To educate where consciousness has weakened.
To fight where workers are under attack.
Forward to the defence of collective bargaining!
Forward to a strong and militant COSATU!
Forward to POPCRU's 40th Anniversary!

Amandla!

POPCRU Lives — the struggle continues!

Four days after POPCRU members stormed to the offices of the Department of Correctional Services in Pretoria demanding a...
21/08/2026

Four days after POPCRU members stormed to the offices of the Department of Correctional Services in Pretoria demanding answers to grievances that have stood for 16 years, National Commissioner Thobakgale came before the CEC to respond directly to members.

He confirmed movement on some of the union's longstanding demands - a letter on the financial implications of the five-by-two system has been sent to the Director-General of Treasury, unrecognised organisations operating within Correctional Services will be cut off, and no employee will face disciplinary action over irregularly implemented shifts or the rank insignia matter.

He also spoke sternly about the crisis facing the department: severe overcrowding, a shrinking workforce, and years of underfunding that leave officials managing sections of over 700 inmates after hours, with too few resources to keep facilities and security systems running.

POPCRU gave the Commissioner four days to respond. He came, addressed - the engagement continues.

21/08/2026

Closing address

Address

01 Marie Road
Auckland Park
2006

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 16:30
Tuesday 08:00 - 16:30
Wednesday 08:00 - 16:30
Thursday 08:00 - 16:30
Friday 08:00 - 16:30

Telephone

011 242 4600

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