Protesters leave PE streets a mess and strike set to intensify
The streets of Nelson Mandela Bay were lined with rubbish, refuse bags stood uncollected and services throughout the city came to a halt as the municipal strike reached day two.
It is likely to intensify next week as the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union is expected to join the strike on Monday.
Members of the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) marched from the Lillian Diedericks Building in Govan Mbeki Avenue to the City Hall yesterday, toppling over rubbish bins on their way.
Shop owners rushed to close their doors as the hundreds of workers passed.
Samwu regional chairwoman Nomvula Hadi said workers were tired of being undermined by the employer.
Hadi also criticised the presence of police at the “peaceful march” while there were “gun- wielding thugs roaming the streets of the metro”.
“There are gangsters who are armed, killing our people in Katanga, but you are here. These people are not armed but you are here,” she said.
“When one child gets raped, we’re told there are no vans, but vans are here now.
“When one woman is being killed every two months, we’re told there are no vans, but police are here today,” Hadi said.At the City Hall, the workers chanted “down with Trollip, down” and demanded that city manager Johann Mettler sign their memorandum.
Mettler was on leave and Selwyn Willis from the office of the speaker came on the city’s behalf. He was turned away by Hadi, who said he did not have the mandate or the capacity to sign the document.
“We want the ED [executive director] of corporate services, or those we were engaging with; they must not throw you under the bus. Go and tell them we want the ED,” she said.
The workers are demanding that 2689 municipal workers each be paid a R30000 settlement.
The demand stems from money owed to these workers after the former Uitenhage, Despatch and Port Elizabeth municipalities merged to form Nelson Mandela Bay in 2000.
They also allege that workers in the infrastructure and engineering department are sidelined on training.
In their list of grievances, the workers said the municipality was wasting taxpayers’ money on highly paid legal practitioners when it had its own legal department.
Meanwhile, municipal workers from Uitenhage, who were on their way to the march, were involved in a bus accident when a tyre burst near Perseverance.
Samwu regional secretary Mqondisi Nodongwe said four people were injured but only one was taken to hospital.The memorandum was signed by Bay human settlements boss Nolwandle Gqiba, who was the acting municipal manager yesterday.
“When I leave here, I am going to meet with the executive mayor [Athol Trollip] so that he can call a mayoral committee meeting that will address your issues,” she said.
Gqiba said staff were trying to collect rubbish in some areas, but encouraged residents to drop off their rubbish at the waste centres around the city.
Gqiba said the municipality had contingency plans in place for the weekend, but would not reveal them.
“Water and sanitation are essential services. These matters will therefore be addressed as normal,” Gqiba said.
Municipal spokesman Kupido Baron said officials were postponing appointments to renew driver’s licences for a week.
“Both our Korsten and Uitenhage traffic and driving licence centres are currently closed as well as our consumer care centres at Mfanasekhaya Gqoboshe, Walmer, Uitenhage Town Hall and Korsten, due to the municipal strike.
“Isolated incidents of intimidation have been reported.”
A joint operations centre was established to deal with all strike-related issues, he said.
ANC regional secretary Themba Xathula said his party supported the strike aimed at the “illegitimate government of Trollip” and that the workers had legitimate and reasonable demands.
“We have instructed our caucus to vote in favour of the long-services bonuses and assist in any manner in the processes of the local labour forum,” he said.
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