This is according to the entity’s spokesperson, Lele Mamatu. Concerns over the open heap gained momentum after employees downed tools and listed the asbestos material as part of a long list of grievances that remain unattended to by the employer. The employees told OFM News that they are concerned that exposure to the asbestos will have a negative impact on their health. Meanwhile, Mamatu says there has been significant progress on the removal of the asbestos and that the contractor has been issued with an appointment letter to start removing the asbestos and the general cleaning of the area.

The employees who have since last week gathered outside the Centlec building in Bloemfontein demand that working conditions be improved, there be an end to nepotism and tender fraud, as well as the permanent employment of workers currently in acting positions. The workers further called for the removal of the utility’s Chief Executive Officer, Andries Mgoqi, on allegations that he has run the entity into a state of disarray and ignores their concerns. In the memorandum of demands, received by the Deputy Mayor, Lebohang Masoetsa, last week, the workers demanded that their grievances be addressed within a period of 48-hours, which lapsed yesterday, October the 22nd.

Mamatu added that the engagement between the Deputy Executive Mayor, together with the Executive Management team of Centlec and the leadership of SAMWU, is set to take place soon to address the issues raised in the memorandum.

He says the Deputy Mayor had a follow-up engagement with SAMWU yesterday to assure the workers that he is still committed to ensuring that there’s an everlasting solution to the issues raised by the union and appealed to workers to return to their work and allow the space for negotiations to take place.

Mamatu also confirms that the CEO of Centlec, Andries Mgoqi, has sent a stern warning stating that workers who are engaged in an illegal strike will have far-reaching implications and that the No Work No Pay will be implemented by the management.

“Whilst every attempt will be made to ensure that service delivery is not affected by this, we will like to give notice to our customers that we are not able to respond in accordance with our normal response to all queries and complaints registered or logged with our call centre. Centlec will continue to monitor the situation from time to time and be proactive where service delivery might be affected,” says Mamatu.

OFM News