The strikers faced dismissal last week after refusing countless offers and attempts at mediation made by the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality.

After the dismissal, backlash ensued when a social media page known as the Greater Middelburg Concerned Residents, as well as several individuals who announced their support of the strike, have made threats that “Middelburg will burn” should striking workers be dismissed.

A call for a total shutdown was also made, with the first date of the shutdown secured on November 10 and later November 15.

Sympathisers circulated videos stating that the acts of sabotage and violence were fake allegations used to villainise the strikers and that the multiple failures in water and electrical supply were due to lack of maintenance.

Other individuals went as far as to accuse the Municipal Manager, Bheki Khenisa, of being behind the acts of sabotage in an attempt to “frame” the striking workers.

The facts however are:

•The strike started mid-September when municipal workers downed tools in protest of the rumoured appointment of subcontractors and demands for salary increases.

•A court interdict was obtained and the wild-cat strike was declared illegal.

•11 strikers were arrested for contravening the court order by intimidating other municipal officials and preventing service delivery by the municipality.

•Solid waste collectors stopped all waste collection then later drove around town with sjamboks emptying out bins and dumping rubbish in the streets.

•After loadshedding was implemented, strikers took advantage of the power outages to inflict damage to waterlines by damaging valves as well as cutting cables and vandalising substations.

•Contractors were outsourced to make repairs on both vandalised and failing infrastructure. Strikers then intimidated, threatened and attacked the contractors on site.

•Local businesses and contractors attempted at resuming waste collection but ongoing intimidation and attacks resulted in several withdrawals after damage was done to garbage trucks.

•The former council referred the matter to the Municipal Manager who then addressed the South African Local Government and the Bargaining Council. After more than a month of striking, the workers received full remuneration and residents were still billed for the affected service delivery.

•Salga and the Bargaining Council instructed that striking workers should receive no pay for the duration of the strike and that any workers refusing to return to work should face dismissal.

•Workers were dismissed.

•Three municipal vehicles were then torched.

•More incidents of vandalism to the waterlines and Middelburg’s power supply were reported.

•Two traffic officials’ homes were petrol-bombed

•Members of the electrical department and private contractors were attacked while restoring damaged infrastructure. Tyres were slashed, cars were pelted with stones and windows were broken.

•With exclusion to the 11 arrests made, local law enforcement has still not identified any culprits responsible for the acts of violence, intimidation and sabotage nor were any arrests made.

•The Fire Department also faces intimidation, preventing them from responding to emergency calls, forcing certain individuals into responding to emergencies in private capacity.

The strike is now entering it’s third month while residents live with growing waste piles not being collected. Most waste transfer sites have been closed leaving only two open for public use.

Interruptions in water and power supply still hound certain areas in town.

Raw sewerage has been freely flowing from a blocked manhole on the corner of Walter Sisulu- and Protea Street. It is actively eroding the stretch of Protea Street leading to Mhluzi as well as polluting the Klein Olifants River.

Piles of rubbish now take over the business district’s sidewalks as businesses resort to dumping in the streets.