Pikitup faced another difficult week as casual workers vowed to continue disrupting operations at the entity’s Roodepoort depot until they receive answers regarding permanent employment.

The action has further delayed refuse collection after an unauthorised and unprotected South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) protest the previous week left refuse uncollected in parts of Roodepoort and Florida.

The casual workers claim they were promised permanent jobs in 2024 but allege Pikitup opted to appoint a contractor instead, leaving them without employment.

According to a statement shared on community WhatsApp groups by Ward 70 councillor Caleb Finn on August 4, casual workers formed a human shield at the Roodepoort depot, preventing a tractor-loader-backhoe (TLB) hired by Pikitup from clearing refuse blocking the entrance.

The statement said police officers at the scene declined to intervene, stating that only the Public Order Police Service (POPS) could do so. POPS was reportedly called but did not arrive.

• Read the initial article here: Another labour dispute disrupts Pikitup’s Roodepoort depot

Pikitup spokesperson Anthony Selepe confirmed this account. However, police disputed it, with district communications co-ordinator Lieutenant Colonel Mpho Tshetlane stating on August 5 that officers from Florida Police Station and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) responded to the incident and contained the situation.

Selepe said Pikitup had not received adequate assistance from police, claiming officers deployed lacked the capacity to stop the illegal actions of the casual workers.

By Thursday, August 6, Pikitup had cleared the refuse blocking the depot entrance and deployed four trucks to resume refuse collection in Fleurhof.

Selepe confirmed the permanent positions were advertised in 2024, attracting more than 130 000 applications for 400 posts. “The positions were cancelled in 2026 after the recruitment process could not be finalised within the prescribed period, as per its recruitment policy. The positions were re-advertised in February 2026, with over 150 000 applications received.

“The 2026 process could not be finalised as the city experienced cashflow challenges, leading to cost-containment measures that placed a moratorium on recruitment, and was cancelled due to budget availability. There is no correlation between the cancellation of the recruitment process and Tender PU150/2025, which is for waste collection services and illegal dumping.”

Selepe said the last meeting with the casual workers took place on July 31 but ended without resolution after workers demanded a specific employment date.

“Pikitup has been upfront about the unavailability of budget to initiate a recruitment process.”

He acknowledged that Pikitup currently relies heavily on contractors because of an insufficient number of compactors in its fleet. “The contractors provide either the compactor and driver or the compactor, driver and crew. While Pikitup does not get involved in the relationship between contractors and casual workers, recent engagements with contractors emphasised the fair treatment of casual workers.”

Selepe added that Pikitup is working to improve its operational capacity. “National Treasury is assisting the City with the Trading Services Reforms project, which focuses on revenue-generating entities.

“If entities demonstrate sustained improvement by meeting specific targets over a defined period, National Treasury may provide grant funding to support their operations and development.”