There are concerns that the deal is being pushed through to stop Samwu disrupting the upcoming G20 summit.
The Johannesburg municipality has a choice between paying unionised city employees or investing in water infrastructure.
This is how the DA distilled the latest saga unfolding in the boardrooms of Mayor Dada Morero’s administration.
The DA claims to be in possession of a document that prioritises the payment of salaries while Johannesburg’s residents battle for an adequate water supply.
R10 billion pending
A billion-rand multi-year deal is expected to be signed between the city and the South African Municipal Worker’s Union (Samwu) in the coming weeks.
The document states that the mayoral committee has sent a list of terms to the city’s negotiation team.
The deal includes increases of between R1.2 billion and R2 billion by March 2026, between R5 billion and R6 billion by July 2026, and a further R4.1 billion for workers by July 2027.
Samwu Johannesburg Regional Secretary Thobani Nkosi said any recent agreements reflect adjustments made to meet Samwu’s concerns over “salary disparities” within the municipality.
However, he denied that Samwu had been paid and said the R10 billion deal was still in the facilitation process.
“As an organisation, we have not received anything, but we have fought for the rights of workers to have parity,” Nkosi told The Citizen.
Potential protest at G20 summit
DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku claimed that the deal was being pushed through to stop Samwu from disrupting the upcoming G20 summit.
With the summit due to start on 22 November, Nkosi would not rule out potential protests.
“It depends on the city, whether they commit to the implementation of the R10 billion or not,” he said.
Morero’s office and city officials were contacted for comment on the deal, but no response had been received at the time of publication.
DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku questioned why Morero was unable to find funds for water infrastructure but was happy to appease the unions.
She stressed that the city’s residents were desperate to secure their water future and their livelihoods, and had staged protests of their own.
“This crisis is a direct result of poor prioritisation and financial mismanagement, instead of allocating sufficient funds and ringfencing those funds to Joburg Water to address the decaying infrastructure and failing reservoirs.
“This is not leadership, it is an absolute disgrace that while residents are waiting for water, the mayor is trying to save his political career,” Kayser-Echeozonjoku said.
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