Waste dumped in Tshwane streets as unprotected strike enters third week

The streets leading to Tshwane's municipal dumping sites are polluted with debris as waste removal operations have been disrupted by a workers’ strike.

A garden refuse truck was seen reversing up to the Lyttelton dumping site on Tuesday morning navigating through tree branches and garbage on the road.

“We have no choice,” said the driver of the lorry, who wished to remain anonymous. Another man, who also requested anonymity, used this opportunity to collect pieces of wood which he plans to sell.

Some parts of Tshwane still had their refuse bins waiting to be collected by the municipal waste removal trucks as collection has been delayed in some areas.

The strike has entered its third week, leading to disruptions in services such as electricity repair, water restoration and refuse removal. There have been instances of contractors being intimidated.

“Last week two waste removal trucks operated by contractors of the city were attacked at different spots. One truck had its windscreen smashed with bricks and another was forced to dump its content in the streets,” said Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink.

Brink is seeking a contempt of court order as Samwu continues to violate a court order interdicting the strike.

At the weekend, a municipal worker was shot and hijacked by a group of people who had earlier warned the person and their team not to work in Montana.

The city believes the shooting was related to the Samwu strike, but the union has dismissed such claims.

According to provincial secretary Mpho Tladinyane, the official who was shot is a member of the union and they would never attack one of their own.

“The incident that occurred on Saturday night is not new to workers in Tshwane. These are the conditions which our members and municipal workers in Tshwane are exposed to daily. We have reported to the city many incidents wherein workers were attacked, robbed and assaulted by criminals while they were on duty.”

Tshwane workers have downed tools as the city has failed to implement wage increases as agreed, saying it is unaffordable due to its financial status.

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