Two weeks ago, illegal strike action erupted at the Inkosi Langalibalele Municipality in Victoria Street. This week Mayor Jabulile Membrey Mbele shared the inside story on how it all unfolded.

On Thursday, September 8 a crowd of about 60 municipal employees mostly signed to projects such as ‘Keep Umtshezi Clean’ and ‘Expanded Public Works Programme’ (EPWP) drove their co-workers out of the municipal building.

It’s believed that incorrect information, stating that their employment contracts were being terminated, reached these employees.
Whereas, at the time their contacts were being extended to September 30, by the Acting Municipal Manager, Madoda Khathide.

The Mayor said that a smaller group of striking workers forcefully entered Mr Khathide’s office and assaulted him. Shortly thereafter he left the premises along with the Mayor and a few others. Later that day, as their rage grew and they turned to burning tyres, Mrs Mbele wanted to address the striking crowd but they refused.

Some of the employment contracts expired during June and others during May this year, but have been extended. This was a resolution agreed upon by the former council. The Mayor pointed out that employees from the EPWP under the former Imbabazane Municipality have accepted the expiration of their contracts and have since looked for other employment. According to the Mayor’s knowledge of the employment contracts, all employees agreed that a new phase of employees will be introduced once their contracts end.

“This strike was sparked by miscommunication and incorrect leaked information. An illegal strike was not the right channel to air matters and I will be applying the ‘no work, no pay’ concept,” said Mrs Mbele.

Mrs Mbele referred to the strike as a ‘blessing in disguise’, adding that she is glad this strike broke out when it did. A meeting was called with the Mayor, the striking workers, the Acting Municipal Manager, other members of management, and the SAPS to name a few. The striking members were asked to elect a committee, which helped them put together a comprehensive report and submit it to the Acting Municipal Manager at their next meeting.

The Mayor, members of council and members of South African Local Government Association (Salga) who were present at the meeting held at the town hall on Saturday, September 10 are led to believe that the contract dispute is just a shallow issue and that there are many other underlying matters.

During her closing statement she said: “We will not be able to make these contractual workers permanent due to the fact that the municipality is suffering great financial debt for example the R42 million outstanding amount with Eskom.

“We will be looking at the qualifications of the contractual workers have before placement. I want to apologise to everyone, mostly those who were directly affected by the disturbance and disruption caused by the strike,” added the Mayor Mrs Mbele.