21 Arrested after last week’s municipality worker protests
Licensing offices in White River and Mbombela were reportedly targeted by violent protesters.
MBOMBELA – Twenty-one men and women were arrested during municipal workers’ protest actions on Wednesday. According to police spokesman, Capt Dawie Pretorius, they were to be charged with committing public violence on Thursday.
Spokesman for the City of Mbombela Local Municipality, Joseph Ngala, told Lowvelder what had preceded the protests that started on Tuesday. He stated that the amalgamation of the Mbombela and Umjindi municipalities were at the heart of a dispute between the municipality and its employees.
EFF whip, Lucky Shongwe elaborated. “A year after the amalgamation, service delivery has dropped on both sides. The executive has yet to implement the placement policy. Unemployment has increased more than ever,” he said.
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He called the amalgamation a political move, and said that it was not financially viable. Ngala added that salary disparities were part of the problem. He denied allegations that salary disputes were caused by the municipality’s finances being in a dire state.
According to Ngala, the municipality and its employees had discussed their differences during a recent Local Labour Forum meeting.
“The parties agreed on some matters and deadlocked on others,” he said. By law, this should have been followed by a bargaining process. However, the protesters had other plans.
“On Tuesday employees demanded an unplanned meeting with the acting municipal manager, Neil Diamond. When told that he was in another meeting, they resorted to trashing the civic centre,” he said.
A large group of workers converged on the city centre, tipped over concrete rubbish bins and rolled them into the streets. The police and community members in both areas took it upon themselves to clean up.
On Wednesday the licensing offices in White River and Mbombela were reportedly targeted by violent protesters.
“They stormed into the building. Some were armed with sticks. They threatened everyone inside and forced workers to come to a halt,” said Mbombela resident, JP Kuppens.
