Top level discussions at Mogalakwena Municipality last Wednesday resulted in the return to work of officials of the municipality after a strike of just under a month.
Minister of Cooporative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Des van Rooyen, MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta), Makoma Makhurupetje and Waterberg District Executive Mayor, Tlotlanang Mogo-tlane, have agreed with Mogalakwena Mayor Parks Sebatjane and labour representatives that section 154 of the constitution should be invoked in the municipality with immediate effect.
Section 154 merely stipulates that the provincial authority must “by legislative and other measures, support and strengthen the capacity of municipalities to manage their own affairs, to exercise their powers and to perform their functions”.
Malesela Selokela, Divisional Head of Communications of the municipality, said in a media release that Sebatjane, who was accompanied by Staff Tsebe, Chief Whip, communicated the outcome of the discussions to workers last Thursday, whereafter they agreed to return to work.
Sebatjane is quoted to have said to the workers that the invocation of support measures to the municipality by national and provincial government in terms of Section 154 of the Constitution will follow now. “The municipality is committed to relax the court interdict barring workers from entering the municipal premises, provided that they enter the premises in order to work. The municipality will not victimise the workers following the recent strike. The municipality will not consider the no work, no pay principle,” Sebatjane said.
“We have directed management to prioritise essential services in our effort to restore services. We thank the Minister, MEC, Waterberg District Executive Mayor Tlotlanang Mogotlane and all senior government officials unreservedly and commit to ensure that the municipality learns from this episode and put in place a firm basis for sustainable, quality and effective governance and administration informed by the back to basics principles,” said Sebatjane and added that the non-delivery of services is regrettable as a result of the downing of tools and the municipality apologises unreservedly to the community of Mogalakwena.
“Offices are now open and functional. We will ensure that we find a long lasting solution to avoid similar situations in the near future.” Sebatjane concluded.
In a media release, Jacques Smalle, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader in Limpopo, said that a section 154 intervention is “too little, too late” and that the Provincial Executive should have invoked section 139 because it provides appropriate measures to deal with the situation.
Story: BARRY VILJOEN
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Photo: Des van Rooyen, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta).
