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Threats to protest at World Cup
Nkosana Lekotjolo 4 March 2010
Residents from four provinces gave the ANC an ultimatum to transfer
their neighbourhoods to the desired provinces within 14 days or face
protests at World Cup stadiums.
More than 250 protestors from Balfour in Mpumalanga, Moutse in Limpopo,
Ga Ba Mothibi in North West and Matatiele in the Eastern Cape gathered
at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, Johannesburg, demanding that the
ANC make boundary changes.
They booed ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu, who received their memorandum of grievances.
The Moutse Demarcation Forum spokesman and the SA Communist Party leader in his area, Seun Mogotji, warned Mthembu that both organisations would mobilise residents to protest during the opening match between South Africa and Mexico at Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium on June 11 if the ANC did not address their demands.
The residents demand that Co-operative Governance and Traditional
Affairs Minister Sicelo Shiceka make public the results of a vote that
the communities took to decide which province they would like to live in.
Mogotji said that last year an "overwhelming number" of Moutse residents
voted to be moved to Mpumalanga from Limpopo, Ga Ba Mothibi residents
voted to go to the Northern Cape from North West, and Matatiele
residents decided to go to KwaZulu-Natal from the Eastern Cape.
He said though Balfour residents did not vote to be incorporated into
Gauteng, it was known that it was their preferred province.
Mthembu told The Times that the government would prevent anyone from
protesting at World Cup stadiums.
www.mg.co.za
Police apprehend 'unruly' protesters
Sapa 3 March 2010
A total of 148 people were arrested for public violence during a service
delivery protest in Oukasi, Brits, on Wednesday, North West police said.
"The protests started at 4am this morning... The residents were being
unruly," Superintendent Lesego Metsi said.
Three of those arrested sustained minor injuries when they fell while
running from police.
"There was no need for police to use rubber bullets on them. However,
they were stoning houses and cars earlier in the day. Things are quiet
now," he said.
The protest began last month. Residents burned down two houses, one
belonging to the mayor of Madibeng, Sophie Molokoane-Machika, the other
to a policeman. Residents were concerned about the lack of development
in Oukasi even though the mayor lived there.
Municipal workers were also unhappy about the appointment of companies
to provide services which they were already rendering. - Sapa
Cosatu plans to protest against increase in electricity prices
Wilson Johwa (Business Day) 5 March 2010
THE Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) plans to take to the
streets over electricity price increases, amid tension in the tripartite
alliance over economic policy.
Cosatu was also concerned about a possible conflict of interest with the
African National Congress’s (ANC’s) investment arm. It owns 25% of
Hitachi SA, which stands to gain from Eskom’s expansion programme.
“The ANC will not be able to ward off concern that it may have decided
to accept the extraordinarily high tariffs imposed on the poor and
industry because it stands to benefit,” Cosatu general secretary
Zwelinzima Vavi said yesterday.
Vavi could not give dates for the proposed protests, except to say that
they would not disrupt the Soccer World Cup that starts in June.
“We wouldn’t want to strike during the World Cup but our interests are
bigger than the World Cup,” he said.
The proposed action over electricity price hikes had the support of the
Federation of Unions of SA and the National Council of Trade Unions.
Vavi said Cosatu was still angry that the Treasury was “infected by the
highly organised but conservative bureaucrats” who advanced certain
policies while suppressing others. “The problem is this pick and choose
attitude among bureaucrats and government officials,” he said.
Echoing comments he made after last month’s budget presentation that
there was still no implementation of policies agreed within the ruling
ANC- Cosatu-South African Communist Party alliance, Vavi said progress
was undermined by “the government’s unilateral action”. He said this
“has been a problem for the past 16 years in the alliance”.
johwaw@bdfm.co.za
Meyerton residents battle for return of goods
Poloko Tau 4 March 2010
Petrol-bomb flames licked at the bodywork of a police Nyala armoured
vehicle as it manoeuvred through a barricaded street in Meyerton, south
of Joburg.
Not even the presence of Vaal resident and Gauteng MEC for Sports,
Recreation, Arts and Culture Nelisiwe Mbatha-Mthimkhulu could calm the
Vaal town's angry residents yesterday.
The protesters vowed not to disperse until families who had their
furniture confiscated by the Midvaal municipality had their possessions
returned, even after Mbatha-Mthimkhulu told them she had obtained an
undertaking from the council to return the impounded furniture.
Meanwhile, Midvaal mayor Timothy Nast was ready to speak to the
community, but the closest he could get to the protesters was about
300m, in an Nyala. The residents refused to listen to him until they had
seen that the furniture had been returned.
A stalemate was reached, and the next few hours of waiting were tense.
Then, having lost their patience, the angry residents gave vent to their
frustration. They started throwing stones and several petrol bombs at
the police.
Mbatha-Mthimkhulu and Nast were bundled into the back of a police car,
which sped to safety as the situation quickly became more volatile.
After the officials had disappeared, there were running battles between
the police and the crowd. Officers fired rubber bullets at the
protesters, who threw stones and petrol bombs at them.
When the Nyala drove into the township in pursuit of the mob, it was hit
by a petrol bomb.
Speaking to residents later, some of them admitted owing the council
money, but complained that it had attached furniture belonging to
residents registered as indigents.
"Besides being indigents, there was no notice or a chance given to them
to arrange for payment terms. This was unfair, but the council did not
see it in that way and residents decided to protest to prevent more
furniture being confiscated," said resident Amelia Tshukudu.
Mbatha-Mthimkhulu said the council had admitted its mistake. "A list was
given to the sheriff in which there was no indication as to who were
indigents. This protest would not have happened had they not attached
the possessions of indigents," she said.
"The ward councillor was also not informed of the council's intentions,
as would have been normal procedure. People need to be informed of
procedures," she added.
Nast said the protest had "nothing to do with service delivery".
"It is an ANC factional fight to make the Democratic Alliance-led
municipality un-governable. These are people vying for positions in the
coming local government elections," he said.
"Some people in the municipality won't pay, and they're not indigents.
We've made it clear that those who can't afford to pay for services are
welcome to apply for indigence."
Last night the town was calm. Police said they had arrested 14 people
for public violence.
Police spokesman Constable Tikoane Sonopo said the streets were still
barricaded with rocks and burning tyres. "We will continue monitoring
the situation throughout the night," he said.
*This article was originally published on page 2 of The Star on
March 04, 2010
Salga condemns violent service delivery protests
Sapa and Newsflash 3 March 2010
Johannesburg - The South African Local Government Association has
condemned the violent nature of the ongoing services delivery protest
around the country. Yesterday, North West police arrested 148 people for
public violence during protests at Oukasie, near Brits. Salga’s Xolile
George says although there may be valid reasons for the protest action,
damaging state resources is not the answer. Oukasie residents are
concerned about the lack of development there, while municipal workers
are unhappy about the appointment of companies to provide services which
they are already rendering.
Sapa and Newsflash
FAWU on the Protest March by Striking Cadbury Workers
COSATU Today COSATU Press Statements 3 March 2010
About 1 000 members of the Food and Allied Workers’ Union [FAWU],
working for Cadbury and who have been on strike since the 08th February
2010, will be staging a protest march on the 04th March 2010 at 10h30 in
support of their demands.
The three demands are a 9.5% wage increment, end to the use of labour
brokers and a 40-hour working week without loss of pay. The strike has
been on course since the 08th February 2010.
Workers will start gathering at corner Lespade and Strand streets under
the Albany bridge before proceeding with the protest march to the
offices of Cadbury at their premises. Marchers will be led by their
General Secretary, Katishi Masemola.
Meanwhile, the company and the union are scheduled to meet on Friday,
05th March 2010, to try and reach an agreement.
Please call the General Secretary at 082 467 2509 or Gauteng Provincial
Secretary, Mr Moleko Phakedi, on 082 492 5111 for more information.
Katishi Masemola
FAWU General Secretary
Traffic cop protest chaos
Gareth Wilson (The Herald) 4 March 2010
BLOCKADE ... Angry motorists pool their muscle power to move traffic
officers’ cars out the way. Photo: Mike Holmes
PROTESTING traffic police caused chaos in Port Elizabeth yesterday when
they blocked three major routes into the city, bringing rush-hour
traffic to a standstill for several hours.
By 10am a massive police contingent had apprehended 100 traffic officers
for taking part in the illegal strike, in which they blocked off the M4
opposite the North End prison as well as busy intersections in
Motherwell and New Brighton.
Traffic officers also protested outside the City Hall. Those arrested
were later released and their cars returned to them.
Yet, despite the fact that police are investigating a criminal case of
illegal gathering and wilfully obstructing traffic, municipal spokesman
Luncedo Njezula last night refused to say if the municipality would be
investigating disciplinary action against the officers, saying only that
“issues around the council’s internal processes will be followed in due
course”.
Yesterday’s protest action for salary increases comes only weeks after
an investigation revealed gross irregularities regarding overtime
payments to traffic officers, including one case in which an officer
claimed more than R30000 a month in overtime for a period of five months.
It was also reported yesterday that the salary dispute had resulted in
no municipal traffic officers reporting for duty at major sporting
events in the city at the weekend, including the cricket match between
the Cobras and Warriors at St George’s Park and the soccer match between
Gaborone United and Orlando Pirates at the new stadium on Sunday.
By 7am yesterday The Herald was already inundated with phone calls from
angry motorists who had been stuck in traffic for more than two hours.
On the scene, numerous schoolchildren could be seen abandoning their
transport and running across the M4 in an attempt to get to school,
while taxi commuters got out and walked.
Vehicles were also seen turning around and driving into oncoming traffic
in an attempt to avoid the queues.
More than 40 traffic vehicles were towed away by police. A source on the
scene said some of the vehicles were driven to the Sidwell Traffic
Department while others without keys were removed by tow trucks and
impounded.
Of the 100 arrested officers, 40 were removed from in front of the City
Hall and taken to Humewood Police Station while the remaining 60 were
taken to Mount Road Police Station.
More than 300 police officers were called in shortly after 8am. Police
spokesman Alwin Labans said the traffic officers were not arrested but
merely transported to the Mount Road and Humewood police stations in the
back of police vans.
“After the traffic officers were removed from the scene at about 10am,
we removed the vehicles blocking the traffic,” he said.
“The officers were taken to the police stations until management decided
what to do.”
A police source said an agreement to release the protesters was made
after it was decided at a police management meeting to take down
particulars and investigate the matter fully before prosecuting them.
Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Zanoxolo Wayile yesterday apologised for the
“illegal conduct” of his traffic officers.
In a statement from his office Wayile said the municipality had not
reached consensus with the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) in recent
meetings, but no prior notification was given of the intended strike action.
He said as a result of the officers’ strike workers, businesses,
schoolchildren and all other sectors of the city, including visitors to
Nelson Mandela Bay, were inconvenienced.
“We do not condone this action since due processes will take place to
find an amicable solution which is in the best interest of all parties
concerned.
“This matter will now be dealt with internally in terms of council’s
processes,” he said.
Port Elizabeth Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Percci) chief
executive Kevin Hustler said the behaviour of the traffic officers was
totally unacceptable and he hoped the municipality would deal with the
matter immediately. “These traffic officers held the city to ransom.
“This kind of behaviour cannot be encouraged or condoned in any way. We
acknowledge the mayor’s apology and hope this matter is resolved.”
He said the metro should tackle this issue with urgency.
DA transport spokesman Dacre Haddon said the blocking of highways by
municipal traffic officers was unacceptable.
“It is wrong that officers who are supposed to be upholding the motoring
laws should be holding Port Elizabeth to ransom.
“The taking of the law into one’s own hands cannot be condoned.”
The protest came after an unsuccessful meeting on Tuesday afternoon with
municipal officials to address the salary dispute.
A municipal source said the officers were demanding a two- grade
promotion and 10 years’ back pay, while the municipality was officering
a one-grade increase with one year’s back pay.
“I know that for the past two years the traffic department has been on
an unofficial go- slow whereby service delivery has been severely
affected,” the source said. Additional reporting by Lee-Anne Butler and Sapa
Cops spray protesting students
SAPA 4 March 2010
Johannesburg - Police used a water tanker to spray protesting University
of Johannesburg students in an attempt to disperse them from blocking
the Bunting Road entrance to the campus on Thursday.
Lessons came to a halt as hundreds of students gathered outside to
demand free education for the poor.
They sang struggle songs, danced and held a SA Students Congress (Sasco)
banner and one which read: "Education remains an important pillar in
community development".
There was a strong police presence at the campus.
Countrywide protest
Sasco vowed on Wednesday to close down nine universities countrywide in
protest action to demand free education.
Sasco secretary general Lazola Ndamase said the University of Venda,
University of Limpopo, Tshwane University of Technology, University of
Johannesburg, Durban University of Technology, University of Zululand,
Walter Sisulu University, Cape Peninsula University for Technology and
the University of Western Cape would be shut down on Thursday.
Students said they were unhappy because President Jacob Zuma paid little
attention to education in his State of the Nation address.
Ndamase said they were expecting the government to outline how it would
introduce free education for undergraduate students next year.
- SAPA
WSU Mthatha strike continues
Daily Dispatch 4 March 2010
PROTEST action continued at the Walter Sisulu University (WSU) campus in
Mthatha yesterday as students, lecturers and non-academic staff refused
to return to work until their demands have been met.
Strike action at the Nelson Mandela Drive campus started earlier this
week when each of the three groups made demands to management.
However, yesterday’s strike action was supposed to be in solidarity with
eight other universities countrywide.
The South African Students’ Congress (Sasco) announced in Johannesburg
on Wednesday that it was going to shut down nine higher education
institutions, including WSU, yesterday to demand free education.
But the Mthatha campus Sasco-led Student Representative Committee
claimed ignorance of the national mass action.
“I was shocked to hear on SAfm this morning that there was going to be a
national strike to demand free education and that we were going to
participate,” said SRC and Sasco member Masakhane Sosiko.
Lecturers, students and non-academic staff at WSU brought the Nelson
Mandela Drive Campus in Mthatha to its knees on Wednesday when they went
on strike. Yesterday, teaching continued to be interrupted.
The strike was organised by the National Education, Health and Allied
Workers’ Union, which represents both lecturers and non-academic staff,
and the SRC.
Students complained about alleged incompetence in the student affairs
department and demanded that returning students who could not afford
tuition be allowed to register.
Non-academic staff are demanding that contract workers be employed
permanently, while lecturers refused to talk about their grievances.
WSU spokesperson Tanya Smith said management was still locked in a
meeting and the university would release a statement thereafter. - By
BONGANI HANS, Mthatha Bureau
Student protests erupt at university
Latoya Newman and Gill Gifford 4 March 2010
Water cannons, rocks, burning tyres and running battles between rioting
students and the police occurred on Thursday at the University of
Johannesburg's Bunting Road campus.
The protest was instigated by Sasco members after the student body
called for the closure of nine universities across the country to demand
free tertiary education.
Dozens of students gathered at the university's campus, demanding free
education.
The university called in the police when the protest turned volatile.
Students blocked the entrance to the campus with burning tyres and threw
rocks at the police who retaliated by using a water cannon.
Police maintained a heavy presence as students toyi-toyied outside the
residence, singing struggle songs and waving placards.
Higher Education South Africa said it did not condone violent protests.
"We encourage all students to maintain stability and derive optimum
benefit of the time they spend at institutions: 2010, in particular,
will be a shorter academic year because of the World Cup," said the
body's Theo Bhengu.
Meanwhile, at the University of Zululand hundreds of students protested.
On Friday, students from three Durban university campuses (University of
KZN, Mangosuthu University of Technology and the Durban University of
Technology) were due to converge at the Durban University of
Technology's Steve Biko Campus for a second protest.
Sasco president Mbulelo Mandlana addressed students at UniZulu,
threatening to make the institution ungovernable if demands, including
reduction of fees, were not met by Monday.
Thabo Leshoro, a spokesperson for UniZulu, said the protest had been
"peaceful" and no classes had been disrupted. A memorandum was handed to
the registrar.
# This breaking news article was provided exclusively to www.iol.co.za
by the news desk at our sister publication, The Mercury
Sasco prepares massive protest at DUT
Sapa 4 March 2010
DURBAN - Lectures are expected to come to a grinding halt at some
KwaZulu-Natal higher education institutions on Friday when students
protest for free education.
Thousands of students from various institutions were expected to gather
at Durban University of Technology (DUT) on Friday.
While DUT management said all academic programmes and activities would
be running as usual, there was fear that the protest would disrupt the
writing of tests.
“We are expecting thousands of students from DUT, Mangosuthu University
of Technology and the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s three campuses,”
said Sandile Phakathi, SA Students Congress (Sasco) leader in KwaZulu-Natal.
He said they would make sure that the institutions were closed on Friday
but maintained that students would not be forced not to write their tests.
The protest will be part of the national campaign to force government to
provide free education. Protests at various institutions on Thursday
were a lead up to the massive march to Parliament which will be led by
Sasco president Mbulelo Mandlana on Friday.
Phakathi said there were no major protests in KwaZulu-Natal institutions
on Thursday.
“We will have a protest at University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Westville
Campus at 12:30 and Sasco president Mbulelo Mandlana will address
students at the University of Zululand,” he said.
DUT said it was not at liberty to speculate or pre-empt the outcome of
the anticipated national student protest, as it was beyond its
jurisdiction as a university.
The protest was directed at government and the department of higher
education and traini\ng, the institution said.
“While DUT may be affected by the mass student action in the higher
education sector, we have no control over what happens and how it pans out.”
- Sapa
Nine SA universities to close for protest
SAPA 3 March 2010
Nine of South Africa's universities will close down on Thursday because
of protest action demanding free education, the SA Students Congress
said on Wednesday.
"We have decided to engage in protest action demanding free education.
We will take the fight for this right to the doors of the State and all
its peers - Parliament, government and even the judiciary if we have
to," said Sasco secretary general Lazola Ndamase during a press briefing
at Luthuli House in Johannesburg.
He said the University of Venda, University of Limpopo, Tshwane
University of Technology, University of Johannesburg, Durban university
of Technology, University of Zululand, Walter Sisulu University, Cape
Peninsula University for Technology and the University of Western Cape
will shut down on Thursday as there would be protests at these
universities demanding free education.
Ndamase also said there would be a national march to Parliament in Cape
Town on Friday, where 1000 students are expected to participate.
Transcript of at the Governance and Administration Cluster briefing
statement by Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma at Imbizo
Media Centre, Cape Town
3 March 2010
Panel: Richard Baloyi, Minister of Public Service and Administration,
Sicelo Shiceka, Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Minister Sicelo Shiceka I also must add my voice in greeting you this
morning. You’ve raised a question that there are too few municipalities
that we connected a pilot report. I think you will recall that on the
second of December the Cabinet approved local government turnaround
strategy as a national framework as a road map that must be followed by
all in sundries in South Africa to ensure that municipalities are doing
what the minister said being responsive and being efficient and being
effective and accountable this certain point.
Now what we have done then, we have started in January and February to
take pilot which is two municipalities per province that are worst off
so that we can learn from that lesson on what to do going forward. From
the pilots we are moving now, between now and April to engage all
municipalities across the country.
The intension of doing that is to develop a specific a municipality
turnaround strategy and implementation plan because we cognise that we
can’t have a one size fit all because the condition in each and every
municipalities are different. We are going to be concluded that in April
and June between April and June we will be then be approving the budget
of the municipalities. As you know the budget of municipalities are
implemented on 1 July. It means that this budget will be based on the
turnaround strategy that will be implemented in July.
Now also we have gone to provincial government department, national
government department, state own enterprises to say whatever projects
that is implementing in municipalities must be based on the turnaround
must be based on the integrated development plans. If anything is not in
the integrated development plan it can’t be executed at a municipal
level because we are saying municipalities in charge of every square
metre every square kilometres of the land in South Africa whatever
happens there because South Africa in terms of our system it’s a wall to
wall system.
It means that there is no piece of land that is under a municipality,
therefore whatever happens there municipalities must agree with it.
Municipality must feel that it adds in terms of what they are doing.
That is how we are doing it means that the turnaround is real and we are
saying this the people must be engage all sectors of society, we have
discovered that over 280 rate payers in South Africa which unfortunately
are white organisation.
They created a parallel government where they take the money instead of
paying service to municipality they put it in a trust account. It means
then that undermine the ability of municipality to deliver service now
we are dealing with that to engage because we say everyone must come to
the party. If you unhappy about pot holes, lack of service delivery lets
discuss that, that’s what the municipal specific turnaround time is all
about. It must be driven by the people and that what then is happening
to the relation of municipal turnaround strategies.
We are mobilising everyone to come to the party. The other issue that
has been raced of violent protests we have discovered that these
protests all of them without exception they happen because the people
have been raising things with municipalities without getting response
the anger has been boiling up. Now what we are doing we are developing a
mechanism of dealing with all the issues that have been raced with
municipalities to be able to deal.
www.info.gov.za
Green Agenda: Pollution is costly, and the poor are paying
Ingi Salgado Business Report 2 March 2010
Angry communities have engaged in a number of service delivery protests
across the country over the past month. In the first week of February,
several hundred residents of Tonga Village, near Komatipoort, barricaded
a road with rocks and burning tyres to press for water, houses and jobs.
In Oranjeville in the Free State, 15 people were arrested after a march
to demand electricity and sanitation. A service delivery protest erupted
a few days later in Khombisa informal settlement on the East Rand. In
the second week of last month, residents of Siyathemba in Balfour burnt
a library and municipal offices during a violent service delivery protest.
A week later, roads leading into Newcastle were barricaded as Blaaubosch
residents demanded proper roads, houses, health care facilities and
infrastructure. In the same week, 150 villagers from Sekhukhune in
Limpopo were charged with public violence after a march to protest
against the Fetakgomo municipality's failure to provide basic services.
Last week disgruntled residents of Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg,
blocked the Golden Highway, protesting against a lack of housing and
sanitation and inadequate roads. A few days later, police fired rubber
bullets at residents of Oukasie in the North West town of Brits, who
were attempting to access Madibeng municipal offices to complain about
water quality after earlier being warned they should boil tap water from
the Hartbeespoort Dam, contaminated from a massive raw sewerage spill.
The reasons for service delivery protests are as varied as the
conditions under which people live. Protesters sometimes allege
corruption within local government structures. Criminal elements have
certainly piggybacked on protests. But if there is a common denominator,
it is resources: either a fight over limited resources, or a complete
lack of access to municipal resources at all.
The Oukasie protest stands out because it was less about access to
resources than the detrimental effects of pollution.
South Africa's environmental movement has, over the past two decades,
developed a strong anti-poverty bias, but there are still people who
prefer to place development objectives in opposition to environmental
goals (some of them dwell within the government).
The events in Oukasie last week show how outdated this approach is. In
fact, environmental injustices like pollution create poverty. Ordinary
people understand this concept because they bear the costs.
Oukasie is a case in point. To treat polluted water, residents need to
add bleach to kill bacteria and boil the water at high temperatures,
thus incurring the costs of buying bleach and sourcing energy, usually
either paraffin or wood. Should their efforts fail, they carry the costs
of ill health, such as trips to the clinic and missing work.
Wealthier communities beset with the same problem have more resources at
their disposal. Stories are becoming more frequent of communities
diverting a portion of their rates to parallel structures that bypass
local government, where municipal structures are seen to have failed.
But residents of informal settlements, for example, don't have recourse
to such solutions. Their frustration leads to service delivery protests.
We should probably brace for more protests as a result of our daunting
water quality problems.
Perhaps it's time for policymakers to catch up with what the poor in
their constituencies understand: that pollution has a price, and they
are coughing up for it.
Service delivery protests spill onto Etwatwa, Ekurhuleni
SABC 2 March 2010
As service delivery protest around South Africa escalate at an alarming
rate, residents of the Etwatwa informal settlement in Daveyton,
Ekurhuleni, went on the rampage this morning. They say they have been
living in shacks since 1990 and have had only promises.
Angry Etwatwa residents today took to the streets in protest of what
they believe is an apathetic system. Among complaints raised by the
residents, the area is not accessible to ambulances when an emergency
has been made. Others claim that engineers have long given the
development of the area the thumbs-up, but officials are dragging their
feet on this.
A number of residents live in rundown shacks, forced to live in squalor.
They now say they have had enough of government’s empty promises.
Following today’s protests, police say they arrested several people but
it is not clear when they will appear in court.
The municipality is disturbed by how things turned out and say they are
doing all they can with the limited resources they have.
Another day, another service delivery protest
Katherine Child (Eyewitness News) 2 March 2010
Protesters on Wednesday closed a major road in Meyerton, south of
Johannesburg, demonstrating against the local council.
They were apparently angry that the council repossessed the property of
residents who had not paid their rates and taxes.
It is understood they were throwing stones at passing vehicles.
Meanwhile, the mayor of the Mid-Vaal Municipality said residents, who
blocked a major road in the area on Wednesday morning, had not paid
rates or taxes for months.
After several warnings were issued to them, the council was forced to
seek legal advice and on Tuesday the court ordered the repossession of
movable property from their homes.
Demonstrators blockaded the Johann le Roux Road with rocks.
“When you are trying to enforce the law in South Africa the police
service is simply unable to control people. It is happening in
Sharpeville and Orange Farm. It is concerning that before the 2010 World
Cup people are taking the law into their own hands,” said the Mayor
Timothy Nast.
ANC chief whip visits Orange Farm
Sapa 2 March 2010
ANC parliamentary Chief Whip Mathole Motshekga visited Orange Farm on
Tuesday following violent protests against poor service delivery in the
area.
Motshekga's motorcade struggled to access Orange Farm extension eight as
the roads were barricaded with stones and burned objects.
ANC local representatives showed him unbuilt roads and residents told
him their grievances, with one woman complaining that there were no
toilets and water. - Sapa
'Govt only hears when we toyi-toyi'
André Damons and Sonja van Buul 3 March 2010
Johannesburg - Even though South Africa has 11 official languages,
toyi-toyi could be considered the 12th, since it's nearly as old as the
country itself and everyone knows it, including the government.
This was said by a resident of Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg, after
the umpteenth service delivery protest there.
As usual, residents blocked the Golden Highway which runs through the
area with burning tyres and rocks. From early on Tuesday morning they
also threw stones at passing cars.
"This is the only language the government understands. We've been using
it for a long time, and at one stage, they also spoke this language," a
stone-throwing resident told Beeld.
Poor service delivery
According to him it is the only way they have to express their anger and
frustration about poor service delivery.
"It's 100 days before World Cup 2010 and we're excited, but it's been 16
years of democracy and big promises from our leaders. Now they are
driving around in expensive cars and live in luxury, but look at how
we're living," the man said before he started singing and dancing along
with the others.
The rioting started after Ruby Mathang, Johannesburg mayoral committee
member for development planning and urban development, promised last
week that contractors would start working in the township as early as
Wednesday.
On Tuesday residents said he had just lied to them yet again, and they
can't accept that.
They complained that the contractors only work in certain parts of the
township and neglect other parts.
Demands 'reasonable'
Mathole Motshekga, ANC chief whip in Parliament, visited the township
and other problem areas which were set aside for development but where
no development has taken place.
He said the protesters' demands are reasonable and it is clear that very
little development has taken place.
Service delivery protests also flared up in Evaton on Tuesday.
"Several shops were looted and the atmosphere in this area was extremely
tense," said police spokesperson Kinnie Steyn.
Several small groups clashed with police members from time to time, and
several small plumes of smoke rose from the area throughout the day.
On Tuesday afternoon, protesters started harassing motorists on Johan le
Roux Road, the road between Meyerton and De Deur, and police intervened.
Residents of Sicelo were dissatisfied after the sheriff confiscated
household effects from about five families who apparently owe service
fees to the Midvaal municipality.
- Beeld
Orange Farm protests set to intensify
SABC 3 March 2010
Residents of Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg, have threatened to
intensify their protest action if Government does not heed their
demands. They are complaining about the lack of service delivery,
corrupt councillors and unemployment.
Yesterday, the residents partially barricaded the Golden Highway with
burning tyres ahead of the visit by a delegation led by ANC chief whip
in Parliament, Mathole Motshekga. He visited the area and said their
grievances are legitimate.
The Orange Farm residents accuse councillors of failing them, by
accumulating wealth at their expense through allegedly colluding with
contractors. Motshekga says he needs answers from those responsible, as
he does not understand how service delivery could deteriorate without
Government's knowledge.
Motshekga added that some Government officials lacked integrity. He says
he would be taking this message to the political heads of the various
Departments.
Municipalities face serious problems
Co-operative Governance Minister Sicela Shiceka has recently
acknowledged that municipalities are facing serious and deep-rooted
problems which will take a long time to resolve. A spate of service
delivery protests has erupted recently – they include those from
Siyathemba in Balfour, Mpumalanga as well as Orange Farm and Sharpeville
in Gauteng. Shiceka has singled out corruption as one scourge which is
hampering service delivery.
Political analyst Somadoda Fikile has since said the ruling ANC is
capable of resolving the service delivery problems but it lacks
co-ordination and a solid plan of action.
Orange Farm Pictures
Metrorail suspends trains on Vereeniging route
Sapa 1 March 2010
JOHANNESBURG - Metrorail suspended trains operating between Vereeniging
and Johannesburg on Monday morning after a goods train was set alight by
service delivery protesters, a spokesman said.
Metrorail spokesman Sibusiso Ngomane said protesters were burning tyres
and placing rocks on railway tracks along the Vereeniging to
Johannesburg route.
"The trains are not safe, but this Metrorail suspension is only for
today and a risk assessment is currently being carried out to check if
the track is safe to continue operating on," said Ngomane.
He urged commuters to use alternative means of transport.
A Transnet goods train was set alight at Kleigrond, near Vereeniging,
before 6am.
"A locomotive was damaged by fire... it has not been assessed by our
technical team yet, but I understand it was not too extensively
damaged," said Transnet spokesman Mike Asefovitz.
He was not sure whether it was petrol bombed.
"There were no injuries to any personnel and at 10.15am today [Monday]
the line was declared safe so we are running traffic there again."
Asefovitz said the incident had minimal impact on traffic.
"We had two trains pass through there at the time, and we managed to
divert them through a different rail route," he said.
Johannesburg metro police spokeswoman Inspector Edna Mamonyane was not
aware of the incident.
"From the reports we got, nothing was happening with the protesters. I
don't know about this, because we don't have officers at railway tracks.
Our officers are on the streets."
She said police would continue to monitor the protest.
Early morning protesters damaged property in Thembelihle, near Lenasia,
but when police got to the scene, the group had dispersed.
On Sunday, police reported that protesters in the same area had
destroyed electricity supply boxes.
No arrests were made as the group dispersed and ran into nearby homes,
said Inspector Kay Makhubela.
Lenasia residents claim intimidation
Gia Nicolaides Eyewitness News 1 March 2010
Lenasia residents on Monday claimed too few officers were deployed to
the area.
Angry residents from the nearby Tembelihle informal settlement took to
the streets on Monday over continuous electricity problems and service
delivery issues.
The area has been without electricity for three days because of illegal
connection issues.
A resident in Lenasia said they were being intimidated by the
protesters, especially at the local mosque.
“Many of the worshippers abandoned their prayer because of fear and
intimidation,” he said.
Meanwhile, the police’s Kay Makhubele said the situation was under control.
“The situation is calm, we are patrolling the area and the roads are
clear,” said Makhubele.
Thembelihle residents near Lenasia up in arms
JoziFM 1 March 2010
Police say the situation is tense but calm at Thembelihle near Lenasia
South of Joburg following a service delivery protest on Monday morning.
Community leaders and local authorities have gathered in Thembelihle,
near Lenasia to tackle their eelier on service delivery protest.
Protesters were damaged property and threw stone to police vans.
Community members damaged electricity supply boxes, the area has since
been left in the dark.
It’s understood that when police arrived in Thembelihle, the groups ran
into the nearby houses.
Police were forced to use rubber bullets to disperse the angry crowd
this afternoon.
Police spokesman Inspector Kay Makhubele said local authorities and
community leaders gathered in the afternoon to tackle the issue angering
residents.
Makhubele said they are keeping a close eye to the situation.
Meanwhile Metrorail suspended trains operating between Vereeniging and
Johannesburg after a goods train was set alight by service delivery
protesters.
Metrorail spokesman Sibusiso Ngomane said protesters were burning tyres
and placing rocks on railway tracks along the Vereeniging to
Johannesburg route.
"The trains are not safe, but this Metrorail suspension is only for
today and a risk assessment is currently being carried out to check if
the track is safe to continue operating on," said Ngomane.
He urged commuters to use alternative means of transport.
(Additional reporting by sapa)
Cop calms angry protesters
Sapa 2 March 2010
A policeman calmed hundreds of angry service delivery protesters and
convinced them to stop throwing stones in Boipatong, Beeld newspaper
reported.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: A service-delivery protests turning violent for the
second day yesterday. The police tried to disperse protesters by firing
rubber bullets.
Inspector Peter Smit, 38, of Vanderbijlpark, was one of many policeman
who patrolled the area during the violent protests that started around
5am in the morning.
Police were shooting at stone-throwing protesters when he saw a group of
people on the side who asked him and a colleague, Constable Stefan van
den Berg, 31, not to shoot at them.
Smit asked the protesters why they were angry. They said they were
frustrated with poor service delivery.
He told the group to call other protesters together. When a group of
about 500 gathered, he promised them the police would not shoot at them
if they walked with HIM without throwing stones.
"Toyi-Toyi (dance), sing or do just what you want, but don't throw
stones," he told them.
The protesters followed him calmly to the Boipatong police station. He
indicated to police colleagues who had just arrived on the scene that
everything was under control. The situation remained calm after that.
Smit, a white policeman who served as a policeman in Alexandra township
during the Apartheid era, told the protesters he was also angry with
poor service delivery.
"Beneath our skin colour we are all just human and I also get angry at
poor service delivery. Underneath my uniform I am a person with a
passion for life and other people," he said.
Tenderpreneurs blamed for mayhem
Luzuko Pongoma 3 March 2010
HOME FIRES : Sharpeville has been burning as residents protest about
slow service delivery . PHOTO: LEN KUMALO
TENDERPRENEURS are behind the service delivery protest in Sharpeville,
the ANC said yesterday.
ANC Sedibeng region secretary Bheki Ngobese said: “People with interest
in tenders are behind the service delivery protests.”
He said that the businessmen, whose names are known to the Sowetan, were
using the protests to put pressure on the municipality to give them
tenders illegally.
Ngobese said they did not want to share the tenders with people from
outside Sharpeville.
“I do not know what kind of greed is this. They want to localise tenders
although some of them have tenders in other places,” he said.
Ngobese said the tenders were for everyone, not specific people.
He said four projects had been delayed because of the protest.
He also lashed out at ANC members who led the violent protest and said
disciplinary action would be taken against them. “Eight members,
including two councillors, are suspended with immediate effect pending
their disciplinary hearing.”
He rubbished demands by the Concerned Residents of Sharpeville that
Sedibeng mayor Simon Mofokeng and Emfuleni mayor Sithole Mashudu should
resign.
Ngobese said the Cope, PAC and DA had formed an alliance to exploit
genuine grievances of the residents. “They want to be seen as good
leaders … ” he said
Gauteng churches to pray for peace in Sharpeville
The Citizen 3 March 2010
JOHANNESBURG - The SA Council of Churches’ Gauteng branch will on
Thursday pray for peace in Sharpeville, the scene of recent violent
protests over service delivery.
“Violence begets violence. We cannot use violent methods to express our
grievances,” the SACC said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Protesting the state of service delivery is one thing, hurting other
people and destroying property is another,” said the SACC’s Gauteng
ecumenical secretary, the Reverend Gift Moerane.
The prayer service would be held at the Ebenezer Christian Centre in
Sharpeville, next to the old police station.
“We invite all members of the community, churches and community leaders,
including politicians to join us,” said Moerane.
Violent protests erupted in Sharpeville last Tuesday. Protesters set
alight a councillor’s house and car, and barricaded roads with, among
other things, burning tyres. They stoned a bus picking up passengers in
the area, injuring one of them.
The SACC Gauteng condemned “the criminals hiding behind” the protests in
Vaal Trangle townships.
“We acknowledge that residents have every democratic right to stage
protests when they feel aggrieved, but call on the protesters and
leaders to guard against agents provocateurs within their ranks,” said
Moerane.
“Since the outbreak of the protests, police recorded an increase in
criminal offences such as rape, house robbery, burglary, destruction of
property and looting of shops.
“We consider these to be grossly irresponsible criminal acts.
“We urge all leaders of and participants in the marches to take a stand
against the violation of human rights and human dignity,” he said.
Moerane said the SACC Gauteng had established a working committee to
find ways of restoring peace in Sharpeville.
The committee consisted of Sharpeville and Sebokeng clergy, and would
possibly include clergy in Evaton and Boipatong.
Its focus was preparing for the 50th commemoration of the Sharpeville
massacre.
On March 21 1960 police opened fire on thousands of marchers campaigning
in Sharpeville for the abolition of the pass laws, killing 69 -- among
them women and children -- and wounding 180. The massacre is remembered
on Human Rights Day.
Moerane said the committee would support efforts to resolve conflicts
and help intensify cooperation between the local municipality and
community leaders.
“The working committee will also focus on promoting a greater
understanding of the Church’s mechanisms for conflict prevention.”
He said the churches took residents’ grievances seriously.
“The protests send a strong message that for some, if not many people,
freedom and democracy have not brought them the much desired results.”
While there had been impressive developments and changes in parts, too
often post-democracy efforts had faltered because of corruption and poor
service delivery, he added, calling on mayors in the area to urgently
attend to the grievances.
Moerane said the SACC Gauteng condemned the looting of foreigners’ shops.
“We urge all peace-loving residents to rally around the foreign
nationals, to protect them against criminals who prey on their
vulnerability.”
It called on the disgruntled community’s leaders to adopt “a humane and
strategic approach” when addressing community issues.
“In most cases the marches turned into criminal violence, disrupting the
education of our children. That is unacceptable and counterproductive.”
Moerane voiced the council’s backing of a police call for the
restoration of the rule of law in the area.
“We call on all residents of Sharpeville, Sebokeng, Boipatong, Evaton
and Orange Farm to follow this call urgently.
“While we understand the frustrations, anger and disappointment at the
state of service delivery in many communities, hurting others will not
help in finding a solution.
“We plead with angry individuals and groups not to be carried forward by
blind rage, but to use their discernment and compassion at all times,”
he said.
- Sapa
Meyerton protests turn violent
Amanda Strydom Eyewitness News 2 March 2010
Residents in Meyerton on Wednesday clashed with police - throwing
objects and burning tyres.
They grew agitated as they waited for council officials to arrive for a
meeting.
They were also demanding to speak to the mayor.
They have been protesting over an order by a magistrate that movable
property be repossessed from residents who have not paid their rates in
months.
Riot police were out in full gear and fired teargas and rubber bullets
at the angry crowd but the residents regrouped and threw stones at officers.
Meyerton protestors clash with police
Rahima Essop 3 March 2010
Meyerton protestors have been throwing petrol bombs at police.
Earlier Midvaal’s Mayor Timothy Nasc said residents’ possessions would
be returned but residents once again clashed with police.
Their goods were confiscated due to nonpayment of rates.
Nasc said political forces were instigating violence to score points
with the community.
He said the ANC was trying to make the DA-led council ungovernable.
On the other hand, protestors feel hard done by the municipality.
www.mg.co.za
Activists plan march against mismanagement in Tubatse
Vuva Vena Johannesburg South Africa 3 March 2010
Angry community members in Limpopo’s Greater Tubatse Municipality on
Wednesday filed for permission to march in protest against the
municipality. They allege corruption among local officials and
unaccounted spending of public money.
Members of the Tubatse Activist Forum (TAF) handed over a memorandum of
grievances and demands to the municipality early last month, giving it
seven working days to respond.
The municipality failed to meet this deadline and the TAF enquired last
Thursday about the hold-up. But by on Wednesday it had still not
received any response.
Waiting for municipality’s response
We are now applying for a follow-up march for Thursday March 11 so that
we can get the municipality’s response,” Elias Mbuyane, chairperson of
TAF, told the Mail & Guardian on Wednesday morning.
As of last week Thursday, Mbuyane said, “the speaker of the municipality
didn’t know anything about the memorandum, But the memorandum was
collected and signed for by the chief whip, so that is surprising.”
The memorandum, which is in the M&G’s possession, alleges corruption
within the municipality and calls for a “comprehensive Forensic Audit
Investigation” to look into “acts of corruption [including tender
rigging, nepotism etc] and bribery by municipal officials as well as
mismanagement of the Municipal financial affairs”.
The memorandum also details capital projects and asks how the 2009/10
budget was spent.
Community members claim the municipality indicated it was operating on
overdraft. “How can they say the budget is exhausted when we don’t see a
single project? We don’t know where the money went,” said Mbuyane.
The municipality opened a case of intimidation against the activists in
an attempt to prevent last month’s protest. “They opened a case saying
we intimidated the municipal manager to grant us permission to march. We
took the matter to court and we were given an order to march on Thursday
February 11,” said Mbuyane.
Complaint of intimidation
A community member who preferred not to be named told the M&G the
municipality laid a complaint of intimidation with police after the
march, claiming that it had been illegal.
“What the municipal council is saying is: if you are a member of the
ruling party, you cannot march against the ruling party. But we are
saying, we are not the ruling party,” said the community member.
On the morning of the march, police camped outside one of the activists
home, Mbuyane said. “They came to my house at 3.30 in the morning; they
found my mother there and asked her where I was. She said I was not
available.”
“They then waited at the gate for two hours looking for me; they wanted
to arrest me to prevent me from marching.”
Inspector Godfrey Mohale, spokesperson of the Burgersfort police
station, said the police may have been looking for the suspect who
intimidated the municipality manager. “But I don’t know if this [police
camping outside Mbuyane’s home] is true. However, police are still
investigating this [the charges of intimidation laid by the municipality
manager].”
A delegation from the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) is currently
doing research in Tubatse, and it will address the community from March
23 as indicated in the NCOP’s parliamentary programme of 2010, under the
banner of “Taking Parliament to the People”.
Water protest ends with rubber bullets and arrests
Refilwe Boikanyo & Boitumelo Tlhoaelet 1 March 2010
About 1,000 residents of Maboloka Township outside Brits, North West,
took part in a service delivery protest to complain about the poor
quality and scarcity of their water.
The residents, who live near Hartbeespoort Dam, said they have been
without running water since December and that the water which the
Madibeng Municipality supplies in trucks is insufficient, dirty, and
makes them ill.
Jan Motaung, protest organiser and chairman of the Maboloka Community
Organisation, said: "We followed protocol. We marched to the Madibeng
Municipality on February 9 to hand in our memorandum and nothing has
been done; picketing was our plan B."
Residents told The Times that Maboloka has 18 sections with 100
residents each. Every three days one truck makes a water delivery.
Sikho Sikhosana, a resident, said: "We were told to boil water that we
get from the river, but we have no electricity."
Cope MP Paul Nguni took part in the protest with his wife, who was
arrested for public violence.
The protestors said police started firing rubber bullets after a stone
was thrown at them.
Said Nguni: "One stone sparked the gun shots and people dispersed. My
wife can't run and she was arrested for public violence. Trust me she is
not a violent person."
Surrounding residents said officers ran into their yards, shot rubber
bullets through their windows and broke down doors to capture protestors.
Pregnant Alett Modikwa said: "A policeman broke our burglar door and hit
my sister on the head with the bottom of his gun."
However, the commanding officer, identified only as Superintendent
Metsi, denied allegations of brutality.
Thirty six people were arrested for public violence and will appear in
court today.
Questions over protest motives
SAPA 2 March 2010
Johannesburg - The Mpumalanga ANC on Tuesday questioned the motives
behind service delivery protests in the province, saying they created
the impression that party members wanted to remove women politicians.
"These protests also happen mostly in areas where some remarkable
service delivery is taking place, as compared to where there are more
challenges, which makes the motive and purpose thereof seriously
questionable," provincial spokesperson Paul Mbenyane said in a statement.
"These protests... seek to portray the wrong impression that the ANC is
targeting and victimising its women deployees... especially the women
mayors and hence we are removing them as and when we so wish."
Municipalities under administration
He said those "opposed to stability and peace" in Mpumalanga were
creating this impression to "sow division and confusion" in the party.
The province has been plagued by service delivery protests, which led to
the recall of certain mayors and councillors and a number of
municipalities being placed under administration.
Mbenyane expressed Mpumalanga's "undivided support" for Premier David
Mabuza who, according to media reports, was on the brink of being
recalled by the ANC's national leadership.
"We want to also put it on record that as the province we are not aware
of such a development," Mbenyane said.
The Sunday Times reported that ANC headquarters sent a sub-committee of
its national executive to probe complaints against Mabuza.
The committee - reportedly headed by NEC member Malusi Gigaba - was
understood to be fed up with the "state of paralysis in the province".
Cabinet reshuffle
According to the report Mabuza is accused of failing to deal with tender
irregularities and the committee would recommend his removal for failing
to show leadership.
The party's national leadership reportedly "chastised" Mabuza last week
because he planned to reshuffle his cabinet to get rid of those who
refused to "toe his line".
One of his targets was reportedly Fish Mahlalela, the provincial
chairperson of the standing committee on public accounts, who is
believed to be investigating financial mismanagement by Mabuza's
administration.
He also came under fire by the Democratic Alliance, the Sunday Times
reported, who called for his resignation after he was silent on a spate
of murders of ANC officials and the existence of a hit-list, allegedly
targeting those blocking access to World Cup tenders.
- SAPA
Violent protests an indication of extreme anger
3 March 2010
A Theologian at the Stellenbosch University, Dr Denise Ackermann, says
violent protests related to service delivery are an indication of
extreme anger among communities which feel that politicians are failing
to fulfill their pre-election promises.
Ackermann has called on everyone including faith leaders to work with
institutions which support civil society. She was among speakers in Cape
Town at the launch of Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane's book 'Faith in
Action'.
"I have a growing passion for calling people to account and I think the
service delivery protests are doing exactly that. It is a clear
indication that people are angry and had enough," says Ackermann.
Church is the voice for marginalised poor
Archbishop Ndungane says the country has a lot of leaders from various
denominations who have a challenge to support the communities in their
fight for service delivery. "The voice of the church in the public arena
- especially speaking on behalf of the voiceless marginalised poor is
the mandate for the church," added Ndungane.
Recently government said it will not tolerate violent service delivery
protests. The Minister in the Presidency responsible for Monitoring,
Collins Chabane, was briefing journalists in Cape Town.
Chabane says that, at the Cabinet meeting President Jacob Zuma urged
ministers to prioritise all areas that still lack basic services, as it
is very difficult for government to justify the tough conditions
communities are experiencing. However, violent protests and general
lawlessness cannot and will not be tolerated.
Chabane says government had already made the commitment to urgently
attend to concerns of communities to relieve service delivery backlogs.
Recently the Sharpeville community, Orange Farm and Mpumalanga residents
held violent street protests to show their dissatisfaction over poor
service delivery.
Moves to turn around municipalities
3 March 2010
Cape Town - Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister
Sicelo Shiceka says government has begun to roll out several pilot
projects as part of turning around local government.
South Africans, from ratepayers to municipal officials, have been urged
to rally behind municipalities as government moves to turn them around.
The pilots, which got underway last month, will initially target the two
weakest municipalities identified by provincial support teams in each of
the nine provinces.
The turnaround strategy would thereafter be rolled out to all
municipalities.
Shiceka singled out over 280 ratepayer associations that had created "a
parallel government" by placing money into trust funds rather than
paying it over to their respective municipalities, which undermined the
ability of municipalities to deliver.
"If you are unhappy about potholes, about service delivery, let's
discuss that - that's what the municipal specific turnaround is all
about," he said.
The timelines for the Local Government Turnaround Strategy were approved
by the cabinet on December 2, which would have to be followed by all
municipalities.
White ratepayer groups undermine service delivery
SAPA 3 March 2010
Co-operative and Traditional Affairs minister Sicelo Shiceka says
ratepayers were placing their money for municipal services in private
trust accounts.
White ratepayer associations have created "a parallel government" and
are undermining the ability of municipalities to deliver services,
Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Sicelo
Shiceka said on Wednesday.
Shiceka told a media briefing in Cape Town that white ratepayers were
placing their money for municipal services in private trust accounts.
"We have discovered that over 280 ratepayers in South Africa, which
unfortunately are white organisations, have created a parallel
government," he said.
"They take the money instead of paying service to municipalities and put
it in a trust account. That undermines ability of municipalities to
deliver services."
Shiceka said the government wanted to engage with everybody to sort out
municipal problems.
"Everybody must come to the party. If you are unhappy about potholes,
about lack of service delivery, let us discuss that. That is what
municipal service turnaround is all about. It must be driven by all the
people."
Shiceka said it had been discovered that all violent protests, "without
exception", were happening because people were "raising things with
municipalities without getting a response".
"Anger has been boiling up. What we are doing is developing a mechanism
to deal with all issues raised with municipalities."
He said a plan on how to cap violent protests would be presented at
meeting with MECs and local government leaders on Thursday.
Shiceka compared the service protests to babies crying for their parents.
"We have found it is like a baby who cries when it sees a parent. We are
dealing with the issues now people are raising these thing more so that
they can get attention.
"By 2014 we would like a situation where there are no violent protests
in South Africa, where we are able to be responsive we can tend to
peoples issues.
"They don't have to go to streets to burn tyres, to burn property for
them to be listened to."
"I look at her as an asset, a commodity."Busloads protest at Teazers
- News24 2 March 2010
About 100 people, most of them women, staged a protest outside the
Teazers strip club in Boksburg on Tuesday.
Three busloads of protesters sang "Lolly is a criminal" and "Lolly is a
human trafficker" in reference to Teazers boss, Lolly Jackson.
The women were reportedly all members of the ANC Women's League. Former
stripper Yuliyana Moshorovs'ka, who is at the centre of a case against
Jackson was among the protesters, as was businessman Michael Kalyminios.
Jackson, who was arrested at the weekend and is out on R5 000 bail, told
News24 that Kalyminios was looking to get him arrested.
This comes after Kalyminios laid charges of blackmail, crimen injuria
and intimidation against Jackson after he "followed and threatened" the
businessman and Moshorovs'ka.
Jackson says when he was told about the protest, he wanted to go to the
club which is like "my home" but was advised by his attorney not to.
'Trying to get me arrested'
One of the stipulations of Jackson's bail is that he must stay away from
Moshorovs'ka and Kalyminios.
The Teazers boss claimed that Kalyminios knew Jackson would go down to
the club to stop the protest and knowing that, would be in breach of his
bail conditions.
"He was trying to get me arrested," Jackson told to News24.
"I'm out of prison on Monday night. On Tuesday at 10:00 he [Kalyminios]
is outside my place with the ANCWL. What the hell is he doing there?"
If he had gone to the club while Kalyminios was there he "wouldn't have
time to poep and the [police] vans would be there", Jackson said.
Anger at cop
Jackson also said he phoned the officer investigating the case against
him and told him about the demonstration but the officer already knew
about it and knew that Kalyminios was there.
He then told the Teazers boss to go to the club himself.
"Here is the investigating officer inciting me to break my bail terms.
What is going on when an officer of the law tells you to break the law,
a judgment that he sat listening to yesterday (Monday) in the very same
court as me?" Jackson said in a statement sent to News24.
Jackson says that Kalyminios owes him R50 000 before he can marry
Moshorovs'ka because she is in breach of her contract.
The Teazers boss brought Moshorovs'ka over from the Ukraine to strip in
his club.
"I look at her as an asset, a commodity."
- News24
CWU Condemns TELKOM Discriminatory Payments.
CWU members together with other unions in Telkom have yesterday
protested outside Telkoms head office. The protest is as result of
managements refusal to resolve pay anomalies of the employees in Data
and Advance Services (DAS). A small group of white race are currently
receiving retention bonuses for working on large projects whilst the
rest of the employees are deprived of the R3500.00 per month bonus. We
have warned management as far back as 2008 to stop discriminatory
practice immediately because it will have serious repercussions and
smacks of unequal treatment. As CWU we want to give surety to the public
and the government that we will do everything in our power to ensure
that the matter is resolved before the World Cup Kicks off. CWU stand
very firm that, the principle of equal pay for equal job should apply.
Management has created a monster which they must deal with and correct
immediately. There is growing tendency in Telkom where certain
individuals in top management are ignoring collective bargaining
structures and pursuing narrow self interests against the broader
interests of the country. Telkom is the key ICT provider to the Word Cup
with fibre optic cables forming the main backbone of the broadcasting,
voices and data services. The matter remains unresolved and management
needs to honour the commitment they made in numerous meetings with
labour. Contact: Matankana Mothapo Communication Workers Union
Telkom labour row could threaten Cup success, union warns
The Herald 3 March 2010
TELKOM will urgently have to tackle its labour relations problems to
ensure that the Fifa World Cup goes off without a hitch, trade union
Solidarity said yesterday.
With only 99 days left to kick-off, the tournament’s success was “on a
knife’s edge” due to dissatisfaction among Telkom employees.
“Employees of all three trade unions in Telkom’s largest single unit,
Data Advance Services (Das), are unhappy about salary discrepancies
between them and employees of the company’s Merlot project, a unit
responsible for the telecommunications company’s largest contracts,”
Solidarity said.
The union said Das employees were not only demanding that they be
remunerated at the same level as Merlot employees, but that the payment
be implemented two years retrospectively.
Solidarity said the Merlot project was the largest contract in Telkom,
worth several billion rands.
“South Africa’s largest companies, including (banks) Absa and Nedbank,
are clients of this project.”
The trade union said employees of the project earned much better
salaries than most employees in the Das unit.“ In addition, employees of
the project also receive a monthly retention bonus of R3500.”
Solidarity spokesman Jaco Kleynhans said yesterday that an agreement had
not yet been reached despite several meetings with Telkom management
about the matter.
“Employees of all three trade unions in Telkom are now willing to take
the matter further,” Kleynhans said.
At a meeting with Das employees in Johannesburg on Monday, management
had proposed that the problem be “investigated”.
Employees maintained that management was delaying the process unnecessarily.
The Das unit in Telkom is responsible for, among other things, the
maintenance of companies’ switchboards and data transmission lines.
“If Telkom does not take urgent steps to resolve the issue, service
delivery to several large companies, as well as service delivery that is
essential for the success of the soccer World Cup will be in jeopardy,”
Kleynhans warned.
Telkom senior media spokesman Ajith Bridgraj said simply that its
preparations for the World Cup remained “firmly on track”. – Sapa
Protest -- but don't target us
Vuvu Vena Percy Zvomuya 26 February 2010
Shaken vendors in Orange Farm say criminals hijacked the service
delivery protests there this week and organised schoolchildren to loot
their spaza shops.
"We saw schoolkids rioting in the streets. They went about assaulting
vendors at their stalls and taking their wares," said Adam Hattia, a
manager of the Sweet Shop in the Palm Springs Mall, which is in the
township south of Johannesburg.
When the Mail & Guardian visited the shopping centre early on Wednesday
morning, there were no vendors outside doing business and several police
vehicles were parked nearby.
In the mall business was slow, Hattia told the M&G.
"We have rents and business to do and it hurts us when we shut down.
There are not many people in the mall." He and other shopowners had made
plans to close up shop if "the police failed to control the crowd". He
said the protesters "have a just cause". "But you don't have to stone
people -- you can have peaceful protests."
Several vendors who lost their belongings expressed their frustration.
"They are right to protest about houses and roads, but why take wares
from us?" asked Ferry Nkosi, who has a stall close to a busy
intersection near the mall.
She said her stall had been ransacked and two bags of wares were
missing. "I don't know what else they took because they wanted to beat
us, so we went to hide."
Nkosi said the attackers came in groups. Some were driving Toyota
Ventures into which they threw the stolen merchandise.
"It was unemployed youths who ganged up with schoolchildren from here,"
said Louie Mthembu. "We can never know who did it. It's hard to
pinpoint. It's a mixture, but mostly it's schoolkids."
Captain Johannes Motsiri, Orange Farm police station spokesperson, said
83 arrests had been made by midweek. Wednesday was relatively quiet, he
said, though some protesters had tried to force their way into the mall.
He could not verify the vendors' claims that schoolchildren had looted
their stalls -- they had not reported this to police, he said.
'Perhaps it's better we go back'
On Wednesday Somali businessman Abdi Tosuf Dirran was in the Orange Farm
police station to report the looting of his shop by protesters when the
Mail & Guardian met him.
He spoke little English and his cousin, Mustuf Yosuf Mahamed, had
travelled from Johannesburg to help translate. Sporting a goatee, Dirran
wore baggy pants and a Paul Smith shirt. He was mostly emotionless,
breaking occasionally into a mirthless cackle.
This is the third time Dirran has been looted, his cousin said.
"Government should do something about this," Mahamed said, as we
negotiated our way through the debris-strewn streets to Dirran's shop.
The metal doors that once shielded his shop hung askew. We gently nudged
the door and it swung open. Earlier this week shoppers had bought their
groceries from this store, but now its grey floor was littered with paper.
There was a loaf of bread here and tea bags there -- left behind by
looters doing a hasty job. Fridges lay face down, metal cabinets were
cleaned out. The only sign of life amid the mess was a black-and-white
kitten that mewed and followed us around.
"They broke into the shop and took everything," Dirran said, including
150 bags of mealie meal of 12.5kg each. He estimated the loss at more
than R100 000.
Dirran ruled out xenophobia: "They didn't target us; they just targeted
our business. There are criminals who are taking advantage." Later, as
the M&G team stood outside the shop in the company of a group of
commiserating South African women, two tough-looking young men went up
the road, shooting sharp glances at us.
"Those are some of the people involved," Dirran said.
"What do you think is the solution to this?" he asked and proceeded to
answer his own question: "Perhaps it's better we go back."
Dirran's despair must run deep if he's tempted to return to his native
Somalia -- in the grip of a civil war and where there has been no peace
since the overthrow of dictator Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991.
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