By Doreen Mokgolo
Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has apologised for proposing to hire foreign nationals for the city’s metro police department.
On Sunday, at the Gauteng ANC provincial lekgotla, the newly elected mayor suggested that the city consider hiring documented foreign nationals to work in the JMPD because they could speak and understand the languages of foreign nationals accused of crimes.
However, on Monday, Morero admitted that after thinking it over, he realised his idea didn’t fit with the policies of the ANC and the government and unconditionally withdrew his proposal.
“I apologise for the anxiety it might have caused the residents of Johannesburg and those of South Africa,” he said.
The lekgotla agreed that language barriers make police work harder but decided that the best solution was to train officers to learn the languages spoken in areas with many foreign nationals.
In his original proposal, Morero was concerned that police officers from South Africa could not understand or speak the same languages the criminals do.
He said arrested suspects could talk among themselves and plan their statements without the officers knowing what they were saying.
Gauteng ANC chairperson Panyaza Lesufi stepped in to assure residents that the lekgotla had rejected the proposal.
Pictured above: Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero.
Source: X
