Torching of garbage trucks prompts urgent meeting between Tshwane and police, security services

At least two garbage trucks were set alight, allegedly by striking municipal workers on Tuesday.

It is believed that one of the trucks was set alight in Sefako Makgatho Drive, while the location of the second truck is not yet known.

This led to an urgent meeting between the Tshwane metro’s city manager, the police, and security services on Tuesday evening.

Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink confirmed this in a video circulated on social media. In the video, Brink condemned the torching of the two vehicles – one belonging to a contractor the metro had hired to remove waste and the second, which Brink confirmed was not linked to the metro.

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Brink also alludes to other vehicles that were damaged during the six-week-long municipal strike, including the stoning of two vehicles.

“It is clear that this is part of the criminal strike action designed to bring the city and its communities to its knees,” the mayor said.

“When we have an incident like this, we get the withdrawal of contractors.”

Brink also said that the strike was no longer a “labour dispute” but “a criminal assault on a massive scale.”

He said the city manager’s meeting with the police was to ask for assistance to find out who was behind the acts.

“We remain committed to our residents and our [waste collection] catch-up plans,” Brink concluded.

The protest action has not shown any sign of ending following the Labour Court in Johannesburg granting Tshwane an interim interdict against the strike and declaring it unlawful and unprotected on July 28.

Staffers mainly affiliated with the South African municipal workers’ union (Samwu) have been on strike over delayed annual salary increases allegedly overdue since 2021.

They demand the implementation of their 3.5% and 5.4% salary increases for 2021 and 2023.

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