Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Tshwane municipality issued notices to terminate the employment of striking employees as some – for the second week in a row – continued to block roads and allegedly intimidate fellow workers outside municipal offices in Centurion on Tuesday.
The municipality said it had issued letters of intent to terminate the services of 19 employees, based at the Mayville Depot, who were allegedly involved in the strike.
Tshwane’s municipal spokesperson, Selby Bokaba, told News24 it was unclear why workers were striking, but that the municipality suspected it was related to its application to the SA Local Government Bargaining Council for exemption from paying increases due to financial issues.
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“Striking employees burnt tyres outside our offices this morning and prevented those inside from leaving the building to attend to operations. Those striking have since dispersed. The non-striking workers fear for their lives as they were intimidated and threatened,” said Bokaba late on Tuesday afternoon.
The municipality has given the employees until Thursday to provide a written response as to why their services should not be terminated.
“The City will thereafter take a decision on whether to terminate their services or not. The vast majority of Tshwane employees are committed to their work and to serving the residents of this city, such that they are willing to place their lives at risk in the face of intimidation, threats or even physical violence against their lives,” said the municipality in a statement.
One employee, Benjamin Dube, is in intensive care. He was allegedly attacked at the weekend after he was part of a team responding to power outages in Soshanguve.
Bokaba said the strike action had affected service delivery in some parts of the metro, with some of its customers facing water, electricity and garbage collection issues since the start of the strike.
Gauteng SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo said the situation was being monitored.
“There were protests at the municipal building in Centurion and it started last week. Members of SAPS Public Order Policing and the Tshwane Metro Police Department are monitoring the situation.
“Earlier today, the protesters blocked the entrance and roads with burning tyres, but police were able to disperse them and cleaned the area. No arrests were effected,” Masondo said.
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