The newly appointed acting City Manager (CM), Tebogo Motlashuping, on Tuesday held a meeting with labour representatives and committed that workers’ outstanding salaries would be paid by Friday. 

Protests erupted at the metro’s offices on Tuesday, with hundreds of irate workers protesting over the non-payment of their salaries. Workers, mostly from the Solid Waste Treatment Plant, on Tuesday morning blockaded all entrances to the metro's premises. These disgruntled workers dispersed piles of solid waste in front of the Metro's premises, including small rocks. This came after some of them allegedly received as little as R100 or R46 in their bank accounts this morning.

Following the protest, the metro released a statement and addressed the allegations. The municipal spokesperson, Qondile Khedama, said in a statement “when the national intervention team started with their duties last week, one of the issues they encountered was documents left unattended, from as far back as February 2022".

The protest at the metro comes just weeks after the National Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, placed the ailing metro under National Government's control for failing to handle its financial affairs, after being placed under administration at the end of 2019.

Dlamini-Zuma allegedly was under the impression that the provincial Cogta Department, led by MEC Mxolisi Dukwana, handled the metro with kid gloves.

OFM News