'Encouraging fitness, makes police seem juvenile. It should be a standard, from a training constable to a general,' says a criminologist.
He said the MOU, in which members will be offer a 20% discount on gym fees, was history in the making.“Our members operate within a highly stressful environment and it is important that they have an outlet to release some of the stress and at the same time build their bodies to keep healthy,” Masemola said.“As you are aware some of you, when you go for physical fitness tests to go over from public service to saps members, some of you fail the fitness test.
“The members did try to respond – and I don’t know if fitness played a role – but they couldn’t catch up with the criminals,” he said.Saps’ National Head of Employee Health and Wellness Major General Busi Temba said this took police wellness to the next level.SA Police Union national treasurer Lorato Lephoro said they were excited to witness the start of the journey to get the members in better health.