Residents and motorists have been urged to avoid Commissioner Street in the Krugersdorp CBD due to unrest.
On Wednesday morning, October 9, disgruntled Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers took to the streets to express their anger by throwing rubbish and other objects.
Workers claim that their contracts were terminated without any notice or communication from Mogale City’s labour department.
The workers also expressed that there were several issues they faced prior to their termination and the terms of their contracts were yet to be resolved, specifically their Unemployment Insurance Fund.
According to one worker Sannie Thiba, the workers did not get the UIF as agreed in their contracts and their working conditions before their termination were of a very poor standard.
”Despite being paid for our efforts, we were never respected or treated with dignity. The municipality never gave us efficient equipment to work with and we were never given uniforms which made it very difficult for people to identify that we were municipal workers. This led to us being disrespected and harassed by vagrants and even motorists,” she said.
Queen Dodo, another worker, added that at some point, workers had to buy their own equipment as the municipality never provided enough to do their jobs and some workers were refused to leave when trying to apply for it.
According to Ward 20 councillor Mark Trump, the unrest is indeed a result of Mogale City and the Department of Labour postponing a meeting with the workers that was meant to take place today (October 9).
Residents and motorists who live nearby are encouraged to use alternative routes for their safety as Public Safety and police have been called to the scene. The Krugersdorp News will provide more updates as the story develops.
Mogale City Local Municipality has also been approached for comment and according to communications officer Refilwe Mahlangu, the Department of Labour and Mogale City are aware of the issue and will engage with each other and provide feedback.
