South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) had been voicing their frustration with the local municipality because of a municipal organogram that just can’t seem to be finalised.
SAMWU members went on a rampage early on Friday, April 4 and created chaos at the licensing office.
“I was inside preparing for my professional driving permit (PDP) when a lot of noise, whistle blowing and people screaming and chanting caught my attention,” said Mr Diederik Meintjes.
He said while gathering his thoughts, the mob of people burst through the entrance and stormed into the building, breaking glass windows and throwing chairs around.
“Out of the corner of my eye I saw a woman charging at us with a hammer in her hand, she wanted to attack us. Everyone scattered and tried to get out of the exit gates. I stepped in front of the charging woman trying to prevent her from hurting anyone with the hammer,” Meintjes relived the ordeal.
Shocked residents fled from the licensing department. The office closed for the day shortly afterwards.
The union members then moved to the municipality just a few blocks away and focussed their attention on the municipal building.
A number of body guards kept a watchful eye on proceedings as the union members walked up and down in front of the municipal building.
Huge pot plants decorating the entrance to the municipality were turned over and garbage strewn in the street, someone also set a tyre alight. All of this while the rhythmic chanting could be heard right into the municipality’s administration offices on the top floors.
Over the weekend emergency arrangements were put in place to attend to backlogs in waste removal and sanitation overflows.
On Monday, April 7 the union sat with the municipal management and a dispute was declared with the municipality.
Mr Theo van Vuuren, the municipality’s administrator posted on social media that the municipality obtained an interdict against the labour action.
“Where staff will be acting in the disruptive manner it will be unprotected and the police will intervene,” he said.
Due to the extent of the damage in the licensing office, it was still closed on Monday.
Workers returned to work early on Tuesday and by time going to press the situation were still very volatile.
The municipal organogram has not been reviewed for the past seven years.
After it was eventually accepted and revised by council it was referred to the Local Labour Forum (LLF) for review.
It took another 11 months before the LLF accepted a structure with amendments in October 2012.
But that was where the organogram’s journey stopped.
Mr Theo van Vuuren, the city’s administrator, said for unknown reasons this structure was not taken back to council for final consideration and was not on any agenda for discussion with him since he took over the administration in April 2013.
With the municipality placed under administration it faced new challenges and the organogram had once again been revised to focus on the current strategic challenges of the municipality. This structure differed in some important respects from the October 2012 structure.
Van Vuuren said key councillors were one of the reasons the LLF did not engage in meetings for months. He then took the matter on with both and after consulting their members they agreed that this new organogram can be submitted as a matter of urgency to council. This happened at the end of January.
Livid members from the SAMWU said another council meeting followed and the organogram was referred back for further fine-tuning.
The same scenario followed in March when the organogram was again not served at the council meeting on March 27.
The reason for the organogram not making it to the council meeting was explained by Van Vuuren:
“The revised 2012 organogram was taken to a LLF meeting and on March 26 the union and a representative from the Secretariat to Council brought me a revised document for sign off so it can. The cover document was not complete and I cautioned them that such a late submission is outside council procedures and may be deferred as council would not have had enough time to have studied it prior to the meeting. However, they insisted on the submission on which basis I recommended it to council but again reiterating my concerns and the need to immediately on adoption to review it to align it to the IDP.
“At the council meeting it was recommended that this item stand over as councillors did not have time to study it as it was a very late submission. Council then decided as such.”
Van Vuuren apologised on behalf of the mayor, himself and the directors and concluded that they will do their best with the assistance of the provincial leadership to resolve it and move the municipality to a point of normality as soon as possible.
Footage of the municipal workers striking
Footage of the destruction caused at the licencing department
