Union gatvol with corrupt city leadership
The mayor and the city manager are running the metro into the ground, says Samwu.
Andrew Ngozo
The SA Municipal Workers Union is gatvol with the irresponsible and corrupt leadership in the Tshwane metro and has called for the immediate removal of the mayor, Kgosientso Ramogkopa, and the city manager, Jason Ngobeni, and wants them to face criminal charges.
The union’s Tshwane regional secretary, Valentine Matlala said the metro could not afford to carry on in this manner.
“We believe these two individuals, at the very top, the mayor and the city manager, are running the metro to the ground together with their cronies.
As employees of the metro, we are seeing a lot of corruption within the corridors that goes unpunished.
They should do the honourable thing – resign and face the music,” said Matlala.
He said they were aware of a number of nyalas, worth millions, that were bought for use by the metro police (TMPD).
“To this day, TMPD has not taken delivery of the vehicles. This raises questions as to who was paid all those millions and who benefited,” said Matlala.
He alleged there was unfair treatment and racism towards union members and shop stewards.
“We are simply tired of the metro’s union-bashing antics.
As it is, the union secretary cannot communicate with members because he has been barred from using the metro’s email service.
This has, among other, resulted in the unfair suspension of 98 of our members who were involved in industrial action.
The metro has gone so far as to say they will be suspending more, and bring in more charges.
We will not take this lying down but will fight the metro with all we have,” Matlala vowed.
Disciplinary hearings will be conducted again next year after they were held in October.
The union alleged the metro was stealing from the poor Expanded Public Works Programme workers under the Vat Alles programme by paying them slave wages.
Matlala said Vat Alles workers’ salary payslips indicated they earned R5 000 per month but they only took home around R2 100.
“This is unacceptable as it smacks of a metro that has ghost workers. Where is the rest going to?”
The union alleged the metro was “not serious about service delivery”.
“Emergency vehicles and metro police bikes are stationary due to not being serviced.
Every unserviced car or bike means a resident somewhere in the metro is not getting a service,” said Matlala who added that all these were issues had been raised with the metro but they had been dismissed as “rubbish”.
“The mayor went so far as to go on record to proclaim he would flush out every union from the metro. We have the documents that can prove that,” said Matlala.
Metro mayoral spokesperson Blessing Manale said he would respond later on Thursday.
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 072 435 7717.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
- We have exciting news! We’re offering a free alert to help you always be in the loop. Send an email with the word ‘Subscribe’ to breakingnews@rekord.co.za to receive your free daily breaking news update.
