Samwu worried about Tshwane workers, service delivery as council meeting collapses

The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) has called on Gauteng Cogta MEC Lebogang Maile and Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to intervene and consider placing the embattled City of Tshwane under administration.

The union also criticised councillors who staged another walkout thus preventing the election of new mayor from going ahead during a special council meeting on Thursday.

The municipality is currently without a mayor following the resignation of Stevens Mokgalapa.

In trying to remedy the situation at the municipality, Samwu said it would be writing to both Maile and Dlamini-Zuma to intervene within the next seven days.

Its regional secretary in Tshwane, Mpho Tladinyane, said the union was calling on both provincial and national government to further consider section 139.

It was also worried workers were at risk of not being paid in March.

Tladinyane said the union was consulting with its lawyers on the way forward in case the council was not convened in the next coming seven days.

Thursday’s sitting was disrupted as ANC and EFF councillors walked out, claiming they did not recognise council speaker Katlego Mathebe. They also called for her resignation

Tladinyane said the union was saddened council meetings were continuously being collapsed.

Earlier, union members held a march calling on councillors to shelve their egos, political differences and proceed with the business of council.

Tladinyane said Thursday’s special council sitting was also called to consider the adjustment the City’s budget and suspension of the governance and support officer.

“As workers, we are worried that the collapsing of a council meeting will have far-reaching implications. The City is expected to apply to both Cogta and National Treasury requesting condonation in approving the adjustment budget.

“It is also important to note that due to less revenue, the City had to adjust the budget downwards. The City is running the risk of losing R500m in grants from National Treasury,” Tladinyane said.

He added the union was worried about the appointment of a new municipal manager because the acting one’s contract would end on Friday.

“This means that there will be no head of administration from March 1. The City has been without the executive arm since Mokgalapa’s resignation, meaning that there are no more members of the mayoral committee,” said Tladinyane.

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