ETHEKWINI Mayor Zandile Gumede has dispelled allegations that she is “missing in action” as disgruntled municipal workers this week brought Durban central to a standstill and caused traffic congestions across the major routes into the city.
In a strongly worded media statement on Thursday, Gumede said she strongly condemned the illegal strike by city employees and warned that the city would not tolerate any further sabotage and lawlessness.. “The damage to property and basic infrastructure during this illegal strike has seriously derailed our plans aimed at dealing with the after-effects of devastating floods,” she said.
Gumede said she had attended the Provincial Prayer which was convened by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government on Thursday to pray for the families of the victims of the floods. “Unfortunately, buses that transported families to the prayer were blockaded by rowdy elements claiming to be municipal workers. No matter how aggrieved anyone could be – it is wrong and uncultured to disrupt mourners,” she said.
WATCH: City threatens to invoke ‘no work, no pay’ rule to staff involved in illegal strike
She went on to assure residents that she had been part of meetings with workers in order to ensure an uninterrupted supply of water to residents. “Over the past three days we have also discussed the importance of ensuring sustained service delivery to ratepayers and, in addition, the City Manager Sipho Nzuza and his team have doubled their efforts to ensure that innocent people are not affected by the lack of water. The matter is administrative in nature but we couldn’t sit and watch as a political leadership,” she said.
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“I would like to thank the Premier and his provincial executive council for assigning MEC for Human Settlement and Public Works, Hon Ravi Pillay and senior officials to work with the municipality – organised labour and other stakeholders to address challenges associated with the relationship between the employer and the employees. As the municipality we are co-operating with the team assigned by the Premier to look into the whole recruitment process. The City Manager is working with this team and has made all the relevant information available for scrutiny.
“I want to dispel the notion that the municipality favours Military Veterans and does not care about other municipal workers, especially those who are members of SAMWU. This is a blue lie and we believe that such a narrative is aimed at sowing division and weakening the municipality. Decent work is the foundation of the fight against poverty and inequality. The creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods is central to the new government’s agenda. As the municipality we are committed to ensuring the advancement of this agenda. EThekwini Municipality will continue to ensure that military veterans, youth, women and people with disabilities are supported in accordance with labour relations act and Military Veterans Act,” she said.
Meanwhile, three city officials, DSW deputy head Robert Abbu, the city’s supply chain deputy manager, Sandile Ngocobo and municipal contractor Hlenga Sibisi, along with six other suspects appeared in the Durban Commercial Crime Court yesterday after a Hawks investigation implicated them in a illegally awarded R208-million tender for refuse removal. The nine suspects appeared in connection with allegations of fraud and corruption.
According to media reports, it is alleged the municipal officials awarded the tender to four service providers who failed to render any service. The Hawks are still investigating the cases as well as other cases the suspects are believed to possibly be linked to. The court also heard this week that the Delangokubona Business Forum and some 62 eThekwini councillors allegedly also benefitted from the refuse removal contract.
All nine suspects have been granted bail under strict conditions. Ngcobo, Abbu and Sibisi have been instructed not to enter the DSW and supply chain offices and are prohibited from speaking with state witnesses or any of their subordinates.
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