Pikitup strike pits City against DA

The lengthy Pikitup illegal strike is boiling over to the City of Joburg Council as the mayor Parks Tau and Democratic Alliance (DA) appeared to be squaring up for a fight after DA accused the mayor of being unable to act decisively on the issue [Pikitup strike] following an urgent extraordinary City Council meeting.-

Tau’s office on the other hand responded by accusing the party of not having a genuine interest in being clarified on Pikitup issues and contributing to a solution, but merely wanted to tick a box and play politics on a current serious concern for the City and its residents. After the meeting Tau addressed the media and said the City of Johannesburg councillors collectively agreed in a sitting to mobilise communities for the cleanup of the metropolitan amidst the ongoing illegal strike by Pikitup workers. Meanwhile Johannesburg Speaker of Council, Connie Bapela said the Extra Ordinary sitting was convened in terms of Rule 16 of the Standing Rules of Council 2013.-

“This was in order to afford the Johannesburg Executive Mayor an opportunity to brief Council on interventions underway to resolve the current labour impasse and restore waste management services to normality,” Bapela said. She added that the sitting was also to afford Councillors an equal opportunity to engage the City’s Executive on the Strike, its impact and a way forward. However DA Johannesburg Caucus Leader Vasco da Gama said Tau should have broken the logjam in the Pikitup strike by suspending Pikitup managing director Amanda Nair after a strong case against her was presented by the DA at the meeting.-

“Tau let down the residents of the City when he rejected a call by DA, and the minority parties in council, for a truly independent inquiry into serious allegations against Nair. Instead Tau gave weak reasons for not acting against her, and offered no new insights to help councillors and residents deal with the five-week old strike. The City is unable to act decisively because several leaders linked to Pikitup are compromised,” Da Gama said. Workers’ allegations against Nair are among the main reasons for the impasse, which has raised health concerns amid mounting piles of rotting garbage.-

In her response City of Johannesburg mayoral spokesperson Phindile Chauke said it’s unfortunate for the DA to take this position informally when it had an opportunity to formalise its concerns in council to formally be engaged in the interest of resolving the concerns it is now bringing up to the media. “They, after all, requested the Extra Ordinary Council yesterday, but it would seem the party didn’t have a genuine interest in being clarified on Pikitup issues and contributing to a solution, but merely wanted to tick a box and play politics on a current serious concern for the City and its residents,” Chauke said.-

She said the allegations against Nair were very serious and not being taken lightly by the City – and the mayor. “This is why an independent inquiry to investigate and advise the City is already underway. This was communicated at Council yesterday,” Chauke said.-

She added that it’s not true that the mayor cannot act decisively because several leaders linked to Pikitup are allegedly compromised. Tau said, “We are also committed to investigating allegations against the Managing Director of Pikitup within the legal framework which prohibits us from starting an investigation of allegations with a suspension without any basis for that action.”-