The municipal spokesperson, Dumile Nana, confirmed to OFM News that the workers have staged protests at the offices of the municipality while burning tyres in what he calls an illegal strike by workers.

OFM News previously reported that workers of the Kopanong Local Municipality, which include Trompsburg, have also alleged that the municipality owes third parties well over R58 million. Nana says this after the municipality failed on two occasions in two months to pay over the monies to the third parties. Following this, the municipality undertook to pay over the owed monies this coming Friday, 31 May 2019, but the workers have since rejected the proposal by the municipality. Nana, however, says the police are keeping a keen eye on the protestors.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) official, Tania Halse, earlier announced on Facebook that the DA has written to the Treasury MEC, saying they will bring the alleged fraudulent activity to the attention of the Public Protector. In her post. she says rubbish bins have been overturned and set alight inside the municipal property while the workers were singing and dancing. Halse claims that the Mantsopa Municipality has been deducting third party payments from all employees and not paying it over to the beneficiaries, leading to employees’ medical aids and pension fund policies lapsing.

OFM News