Municipal workers continue to strike in Lydenburg, Sabie and Graskop

Members of the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) demand the resignation or removal of Friddah Nkadimeng, executive mayor, and Herns Trower, acting municipal manager.

The protests started on Monday June 26. Residents were alerted in a mass WhatsApp message that municipal services would be suspended until further notice.

Thaba Chweu Local Municipality (TCLM) was not available to provide comment regarding the strike. Spiros Couvaras, a DA councillor, said the DA enquired about the irregular appoints of the acting director of community services and the acting director of planning and development at a council meeting on Thursday June 22.

The DA and other political parties tabled their motion against these irregular appointments and the appointment of the acting municipal manager.

‘‘The contract term of the acting municipal manager has been longer than three Protesters in Viljoen Street, Lydenburg. months and a letter of consent by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) was not issued to TCLM to address to TCLM to address these appointments. Section 56 (1) of the Municipal Systems Amendment Articles of Cogta was not followed. We are also calling for the removal of the acting municipal manager on the basis that he doesn’t have the five-year municipal experience required at the middle management level. We suggest that residents pay the same amount as their May municipal accounts to avoid arrears, as the July accounts have not been issued yet due to the strike,” said Couvaras.

Mpumalanga Cogta spokesperson, Lindiwe Msibi, and Samwu didn’t respond to questions at the time of publication.