The Middelburg High Court ruled in favour of local attorney Andre Brandmuller and transport company SG Coal, in the application for a string of interdicts aimed at ending the now month-long illegal strike.

Steve Tshwete Local Municipality workers downed tools in an illegal strike for the umpteenth time recently with service delivery grinding to a halt. They demand salary increases and for 16 suspended workers to be reinstated among other things.

A recent council sitting revealed that the strike has cost Middelburg ratepayers R288m since September 2021.

A municipal worker was shot and killed, allegedly by a municipal security guard in August. When the suspect was released on bail on Friday, violent riots broke out with angry protesters taking to the streets, vandalising infrastructure and damaging passing vehicles.

One of the strikers’ demands, that acting municipal manager Thokozile Zulu must go, was granted when a new municipal manager, Mandla Mnguni, was appointed on August 30.

In today’s high court application, Judge Eric Mkhawane sided with Brandmuller and SG Coal, in interdicting municipal employees from continuing with the strike.

Strikers were ordered to stop interfering in any manner whatsoever in the service delivery of the municipality to the residents, businesses and taxpayers.

The court ordered the municipality to resume with service delivery immediately.

Regarding the SAPS’s apathy to enforce previous orders, the judge ordered the Middelburg police to take action to prevent any breach, or non-compliance with the terms of the order.

Brandmuller’s request for an order of the dissolution of council, was postponed sine die (to arrange for something to continue at a later stage without fixing a date), with the court allowing councillors and parties to supplement affidavits, where-after any party may set the matter down for adjudication.

Council has 30 days from today to submit opposing affidavits against Brandmuller’s request for council to be dissolved.

The determination of costs have been reserved in regards to the above postponement.

Gerrit Kruger of Kruger & Bekker Attorneys, acted on behalf of Brandmuller.