Over 500 JMPD recruits take City of Johannesburg to Constitutional Court over cancelled appointments

More than 500 Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) recruits have escalated a legal challenge against the City of Johannesburg after their appointments were cancelled amid allegations of corruption, and are placing their hopes on the Constitutional Court.

Legal path shifts to Constitutional Court

The recruits initially brought their case to the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, but the matter was struck from the court roll for lack of urgency. The legal dispute is now set to be referred to the Constitutional Court.

What the recruits say

The group, who completed a recruitment process for the 2025/26 training intake, protested outside the Gauteng High Court for two days, “on Tuesday and Wednesday”, arguing they had been through interviews and vetting and that cancelling their appointments was unfair.

“We have undergone all the necessary interviews and vetting processes needed for us to be enrolled in the JMPD programme,” said Vusi Masilela from Orlando East, Soweto. “But there has been a lack of transparency in the whole process, which has led us to take this legal action.”

An anonymous recruit outside the court warned that restarting the process would dishonour peers who died during training:

“Our hopes are on this recruitment process, as two of our peers died while undergoing this strenuous process. It would be unfair for us to start the process again, and that would mean our peers have died in vain should the city continue with restarting the process from scratch.”

City response and allegations of corruption

The City of Johannesburg has said an alleged corrupt practice involving a subset of 50 recruits required restarting the entire recruitment process for the full intake of 500 prospective officers. The recruits argue that penalising the majority for the alleged misconduct of a few would be unfair and would jeopardise their chances of joining the JMPD.

Deaths during training

The recruitment and training process was previously marked by the deaths of two recruits. The article names them as Michael Nyambi (24) of Rabie Ridge and Zwelethu Tekete (26) of Braamfischerville. Their deaths prompted criticism of the JMPD’s safety measures during training.

JMPD statement

Speaking for the department, JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the department was aware of the matter but would await the court’s judgment because the issue is currently sub judice:

“The Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) is aware of the matter regarding the applicants who have taken the city to court over the recruitment process. However, because the matter is currently sub judice, the department will await the court’s judgment and cannot comment further at this stage.”

The case will proceed to the Constitutional Court as the recruits seek clarity and reinstatement after months spent waiting for letters of appointment.