Tshwane ‘not backing down’, takes stand against Samwu strike

The City of Tshwane was adamant it was not backing down against an illegal strike by South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) members, which has seen service delivery come to a standstill in the capital city.

“You torch one truck and the effect is the withdrawal of all the contractors,” said Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink following the latest attack on waste removal trucks.

Brink said the city dismissed 122 striking workers, opened 35 cases against the workers involved and was considering civil action against Samwu.

“What started as a wage dispute has turned into a campaign of criminality. This group cannot care less about the courts, the bargaining council or the collective agreement. They use violence, criminality and terror as bargaining chips,” he said.

Brink said the city could not afford a salary increase this year.

“Our budget is underfunded by at least R3 billion. We know that municipal employees also suffer under South Africa’s cost of living crisis. I have seen the payslips of some of the employees and the payroll deductions that leave them with little,” he said.

Brink said some of the biggest deductions on payslips come from union-sponsored short-term loans with high interest rates.

“On average, municipal officials, like all civil servants, earn good salaries compared to what is paid in the private sector. This is not to say that municipal employees do not deserve salary increases.

“But we have to face economic reality. Most municipalities are in a liquidity crunch. They are running out of cash for the same reasons that Tshwane is running out of cash,” he said.

Tshwane MMC for community safety Grandi Theunissen said there have been 22 arrests and 12 ongoing investigations opened against striking workers.

Theunissen said 45 security companies were operating voluntarily around the city to safeguard infrastructure.

“They have been providing us with crucial information in terms of the strike and arrests that have been made,” he said.

City manager Johann Mettler said the cases opened included public violence, malicious damage to property, common assault, cable theft, hijacking, attempted murder, intimidation, death threats and arson.

Mettler said various fire stations were also closed during the strike including Lyttleton, Rosslyn, GaRankuwa and Bronkhorstspruit. Samwu acting regional secretary Precious Theledi said the union noted the nonpayment of salaries of its members on 25 August.

“As Samwu, we are dealing with the matter and filing an urgent application to the bargaining council and court to force the city to pay salaries,” she said.