By Teboho Moloi
QWAQWA — The South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) has launched a wave of marches to every municipality in the Free State, demanding urgent intervention by COGTA MEC Saki Mokoena to halt municipal collapse.
Hundreds of SAMWU members marched through Phuthaditjhaba’s main roads on Wednesday, 30 September, singing and holding placards, wearing red union regalia — the first of a series of rolling protests across the province.
SAMWU national deputy secretary-general Sam Lekhuleni issued a stern warning: without COGTA intervention, dysfunction, corruption and labour unrest will continue to cripple service delivery.
“We want to see services delivered as much as we want to see rights of our members respected. Some people might think we are marching for the sake of marching, but we have been patient for years,” Lekhuleni said.
He said the union’s patience had snapped after years of victimisation, maladministration and rampant corruption.
“Our members are victimised. Today some are suspended, even expelled, just for raising fundamental issues relating to compliance with legislation. Those matters are really provoking us,” he said.
Lekhuleni listed a litany of failures pushing municipalities to the brink:
– Non-payment of salaries in Mafube
– Non-payment of third parties across the province
– Failure to comply with collective agreements signed at divisional and central levels
– Non-compliance with occupational safety standards
“We are starting this march to confront these municipalities, in particular those which are arrogant like Maluti-a-Phofung (MAP). We had initiated a lot of processes before, including political interventions through alliance structures, even the ANC and COSATU on national level, but with no positive result,” he said.
Lekhuleni said COGTA’s decisive intervention was the only way to restore labour peace and rescue service delivery for communities.
“COGTA’s intervention might result in labour peace in the municipalities which will result in getting rid of long-overdue challenges so that better service delivery is provided for communities,” he said.
The Phuthaditjhaba march marks the start of SAMWU’s province-wide shutdown campaign targeting dysfunctional municipalities.
