The operators from five municipalities within Mopani, were gathered at the Disaster Management Centre in Tzaneen on Wednesday, February 7.
The aim of the meeting was to unite in a possible protest directed to the municipality if they don’t get paid.
“The whole of 2017 we only received a two month salary in December and we were promised the rest of the 10 month pay in January this year, but we did not get a thing.
Read: AUDIO: Mopani Municipal Director jailed for fraud
“Only 205 of the 310 operators received their pay in December and some were paid in January and now seven still have not received a cent. We are not fighting and we love our jobs, but we just want our money,”said Sabina Mocheki, Secretary of the Mopani Borehole Operators Committee.
Their duties include switching on and off the boreholes in the villages, which controls the water supply of those communities.
Initially the group were volunteers, but in 2013 they were turned into full-time employees.
They claim that since the current leadership came into office, things took a turn for the worst.
“We are now beginning to think that the former leadership of Joshua Matlou (Former Executive Mayor of Mopani) and Tim Maake (Former Mopani Municipal Manager), was better than the current one,” said an anonymous operator.
After the meeting, the committee sent a letter to the Greater Tzaneen Municipality and they are currently waiting for a response.
“We will only talk to the media after holding a meeting with the operators,” said Neil Shikwambana, Mopani District Municipality’s Spokesperson, when asked to comment on the matter.
Mocheki did confirm with the Herald that the municipality has agreed to sit down with them soon.
The Herald will give an update on the story, as we receive it.
