Police fire rubber bullets at protesting former Tshwane metro employees
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Rubber bullets were fired at protesting former Tshwane metro employees, after they reportedly “failed to follow appropriate channels”.
The former waste management staff members were protesting outside the Tshwane House last week Thursday.
The group, whose contract with the metro expired end-October, were demanding the municipality honour an alleged agreement by employing them permanently.
According to the disgruntled former employees, the agreement was that “contract workers would be permanently employed by the employer at the end of their contract”.
“The protest had not gone through appropriate channels in terms of organisation and preparation,” mayoral acting spokesperson Jordan Griffiths said.
“The metro police only use rubber bullets as a last resort when a protest has become unsafe, unruly or when the protest degenerate such that it may result in damage to infrastructure or private property.”
The Tshwane metro said its priority was the capital’s financial stability.
“This will require making hard trade-offs and at times unpopular decisions,” Griffiths said.
“Within weeks of assuming office, the political leadership had been inundated with calls by various workers to be hired permanently or by city contractors who wanted to be insourced.”
He said making decisions on these matters would be based on potential benefits and risks.
The marchers slammed the metro police’s action as an attempt to silence them.
“We have been protesting peacefully since Monday, but because the Tshwane metro council is holding its meeting today [Thursday], the metro police decide to shoot at us,” march organiser Letter Aphane said.
The shooting incident left several protesters injured.
Some of them were admitted to a nearby hospital while others were treated by healthcare workers at the FF Ribeiro clinic in Sammy Marks Square in the Pretoria CBD.
Among the injured protesters were Themba Zulu, who was shot in the leg, and Rebecca Makhanya, who was shot in the back.
“Zulu bled badly,” Aphane said.
“We were surprised that a rubber bullet can cause such damage to human body.”
Photos of Zulu’s injured right leg, taken after just after the shooting, showed two clearly visible holes in his pants.
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