COSATU sees red
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) who represents 1 000 members around Mogalakwena painted Mokopane red, when their members took to the streets on Wednesday, 20 March, in a protest action against the Mogalakwena Municipality.
MOKOPANE – Various organisations were represented in the protest action and their dismay with the municipality was chanted out of one mouth. Tebogo Mashabane, Regional Spokesperson for the ANCYL, told Bosveld that the march is in the interest of the people of Mogalakwena that are forgotten.
“The municipality needs to deliver qualitative service.”
Mashabane said the ANCYL learned through engagements, that Cosatu Mokopane intends to stand-up against the non delivery of services.
“Nepotism and corruption are factors that challenge the integrity of both the institution and the leadership.
“The guilty party’s heads should roll. Rumours were doing the rounds that tons of discrepancies are conducted at the Mogalakwena Municipality that dragged the ruling party into a stream of reputational damage.”
Bryner Ngwenya, Deputy Chairperson for Mogalakwena Concerned and Affected Community said; “There is a big problem in our municipality whereby money is looted in extreme amounts.
“We went to Luthuli House on 11 March and met with President Cyril Ramaphosa and he had a message for the people of Mokopane.
According to Ngwenya, Ramaphosa said that the people of Mogalakwena have to vote this coming election. Thereafter he will come to Mokopane and root out the corruption in the municipality.
Matlaku Onica Phosa, gender convener for Cosatu in Mogalakwena said: “We are concerned that the municipality does not follow the labour law and they have to start doing this urgently.
“People are abused and shouted at and forced to leave their work and attend imbizos of the municipality. We handed the memorandum to the municipality and they have seven days to respond to our demands.”
The demands on the memorandum that was handed to Mogalakwena Municipality are:
• All harassment and intimidation charges against SAMWU leaders be withdrawn with immediate effect.
• Recent appointments were effected to advance narrow factional interest, these appointments must be reversed.
• Corruption and nepotism in those family members who are appointed in the municipality without following the correct procedures, these appointments must be reversed.
• Temporary employees under the Letsema-project work for three years, these workers need to be permanently employed.
• Clarity needs to be established if the R100 million that was deposited into the VBS bank and again withdrawn was returned into the municipality’s coffers.
• Service delivery has collapsed due to leaders and senior administrators who do not have an interest in the community and Mogalakwena.
