Restoring order in Mtuba

FOLLOWING a month-long strike, the sole aim of which appeared to be the workers’ desired removal of Administrator Bamba Ndwandwe, Mtubatuba municipal employees are officially back at work.

What started as a sit-in by every level of municipal employee, including traffic officers, refuse removers and administration clerks on 27 May, quickly progressed to intermittent marches through Mtubatuba during which SAPS officers were able to contain the occasional outbreak of violence.

Uncollected refuse piled up on a daily basis and loose litter blew out of rubbish bins, leaving the town resembling a landfill site.

Striking workers handed a list of grievances to Mtubatuba Mayor Robert Ntuli, on 17 June.

The bulk of the grievances, which included broken rubbish trucks and a non-functioning vehicle testing station, could be easily resolved.

It later came to light, however, that the workers’ main aim of the strike was to remove the Municipal Administrator, Bamba Ndwandwe, from his post.

According to a SAMWU Shop Steward, Ndwandwe was responsible for cutting overtime pay.

Simultaneously, rumours had it that the municipality’s Executive Council conspired to oust Mayor Ntuli and install Cllr MQ Mkhwanazi in his place.

The widely reported-on chaotic meeting of 19 June, during which the alleged mayoral change-over occurred, has officially been deemed ‘null and void’.

As Applicant, CoGTA MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube was successful in obtaining an interim High Court order in which it was officially recorded that, ‘The proceedings of the purported meeting of the Council of First Respondent held on 19 June 2014 and all resolutions passed… are hereby declared to be null and void ab initio and invalid’.

The six respondents in the matter were Mtubatuba Municipality, Municipal Manager Siyabonga Ntuli, Councillor MQ Mkhwanazi, the African National Congress, Inkatha Freedom Party and National Freedom Party. All Respondents are to show cause, if any, on 24 July why the order should not be made final.

Any respondent opposing the order will be liable to pay court costs.

A month since the strike began, the big question on everyone’s lips is whether the ‘no work, no pay’ policy was implemented.

Municipal Manager (MM) Siyabonga Ntuli is repeatedly unavailable for comment, but Mayor Ntuli confirmed on Tuesday that at no time did the MM declare the strike illegal and he ‘took it upon himself to pay the striking workers’ on payday.

Administrator Bamba Ndwandwe has returned to his post in Mtubatuba and Ntuli’s investigation will go ahead.