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Samwu marchers set sights on Durban
Sapa 14 April 2010
JOHANNESBURG - The SA Municipal Workers’ Union planned a 12,000-strong
march through Durban on Thursday, with the blessing of union body
Cosatu, as part of its push for market related salaries for employees.
Samwu began its nationwide strike on Monday with a peaceful march to the
Johannesburg metro offices, but over the three days confrontations with
police in other marches and pickets have been increasing, as has neglect
of municipal services.
On Wednesday a group of protesting municipal workers stoned cars at the
municipal hall in central Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape police spokesman
Captain Johan Rheede said.
“Today, if there is any damage to property, we will make arrests... we
won’t tolerate this behaviour, it’s not like yesterday ŠTuesdayĆ when
they were just throwing papers in the streets.”
In Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, private security company the Red
Ants allegedly threw stones at striking workers, after protests at a
municipal building, Samwu spokesman Tahir Sema said.
In Kimberley, 70 people were arrested for public violence after burning
tyres outside the city hall.
Constable Andrea Cloete said protesters were angry because they felt
their demands were not being taken seriously. They started to vandalise
an electric box in front of the city hall and threw bottles and rubbish
at police.
Cloete said after the arrests the remaining protesters dispersed
peacefully to hand a memorandum to their employer, the SA Local
Government Association.
The association and Samwu delegates were meeting in Midrand to try to
resolve the dispute after Salga withdrew a court application on Tuesday
to stop the strike.
Samwu said it had spent seven years trying to get middle and lower
income municipal workers’ salaries market related. The union said this
would reduce salaries of higher-ranking, overpaid council employees, and
would address corruption which was seen as a reason for service delivery
protests.
“These kind of talks can go on for hours, even into the early parts of
the morning,” Sema said.
In Durban about 60 municipal workers staged a protest march in the
Durban CBD, said Democratic Alliance councillor Heinz De Boer.
“The group initially formed near the city hall car park, before holding
up traffic as they crossed to the Florence Mkhize building.
“While marching to the building, several members lashed out at a passing
metro police vehicle and another eThekwini municipal vehicle with sticks.
“Several rubbish bins were rolled over while the contents were strewn
across the road,” De Boer said, who saw the incident.
“Among those watching the spectacle were two young tourists from
America, who were quite amazed at the actions of the strikers, and
enquired whether ‘this sort of thing’ happened frequently in South Africa.”
Cosatu pledged its “full support and solidarity” with Samwu’s 130,000
municipal workers.
Sapa
Municipal workers march in Bloemfontein
Sapa 16 April 2010
Several hundred members of the SA Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) were
taking part in a protest march in Bloemfontein on Friday.
The march followed a route through central Bloemfontein and was expected
to end at the Braamfischer building -- the Mangaung local municipality's
main administrative building.
The Bloemfontein march takes place after similar marches in other cities
this past week.
Click here!
Samwu and the SA Local Government Association (Salga) were set to resume
talks on Friday afternoon to find a resolution to the ongoing strike.
After a Samwu meeting on Thursday in Bloemfontein a group of workers
trashed the Braamfischer building.
The rubbish was picked up by Friday morning.
By noon, the workers were dancing and singing outside the Braamfischer
building. - Sapa
City of Joburg seek municipal worker vandals
Sapa 16 April 2010
The City of Johannesburg and law enforcement officials were on Friday
studying CCTV footage to identify the striking municipal workers who
vandalised the Johannesburg CBD during a march, said an official.
"Such vandals will be disciplined and, if need be, prosecuted to the
fullest extent of the law," municipal spokesman Nthatisi Modigoane said
in a statement.
SA Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) members emptied rubbish bins on the
streets of the city on Thursday during a march to hand over a memorandum
of grievances to Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane.
Samwu expressed concern at their behaviour, but said it understood the
workers' frustration.
"This has gone beyond the accepted norms of civilised protests and is
definitely not helping efforts to seek an early resolution to the
strike," the municipality said.
Trashing the city encroached on residents' right to a safe and healthy
environment.
"It also shows some disregard for the loyal and paying citizens of
Johannesburg, who really do not deserve such treatment from the members
of Samwu."
Although the city respected workers' right to strike, it was considering
ways of regulating how members of the union behaved in marches,
Modingoane said.
"Because of the failure of the Samwu leadership to control their
members, it might lead to future marches being denied unless Samwu would
be prepared to pay a deposit as security.
"And should there be damages and vandalism, the city would reserve the
right to withhold such deposits and use same to repair damages caused by
the strikers," he said
The city had asked residents and business owners to move their refuse
back to their properties.
"For your convenience, a complete schedule of refuse collection will be
published in the media once the strike has ended and the situation has
returned to normal."
Modingoane said the city was concerned about a notice signed by a Samwu
leader threatening those who did not participate in the strike.
The notice warned that those who did not take part in the strike would
not reap the benefits of developments achieved as a result of the
protest. - Sapa
Municipality ignores workers
SAPA 16 April 2010
Bloemfontein - The Mangaung Local Municipality on Friday refused to
accept a memorandum from protesting members of the SA Municipal Workers
Union (Samwu) after a march in Bloemfontein.
No reason was given for ignoring the workers' request from the
municipality, but union members indicated the treatment was evident of
the Mangaung management's "arrogance" in handling worker issues.
"In all the other towns management accepted the demands," Free State
Samwu deputy-chair Lindi Makhubu said.
Mangaung Samwu shop steward, Pule Molalenyane, said municipal management
granted a request for the march on Thursday, during a union meeting.
"During the meeting it was said and acknowledged that we have met all
requirements."
Disciplinary procedures
Molalenyane said however at the end of the meeting a manager in the
traffic department arrived and told the union they (municipality) would
like to withdraw the permission.
"It was the management's way to disrupt the protest."
Addressing the protesters outside the Bram Fischer building, Makhubu
said the union wants the South African Local Government Association
(Salga) to stop "abusing" ratepayer's money.
"Internal disciplinary procedures must be free of external lawyers."
She urged Salga to equip its officials to properly handle internal
disciplinary procedures instead of hiring external lawyers.
"This is an assault on taxpayer's money."
Other demands were for proper salaries for all the municipality's
workers in its different areas, as well as a uniform job evaluation system.
Substandard shirts
Workers, displaying yellow Bafana Bafana shirts, also protested against
Mangaung municipal manager Sandile Msibi, accusing Msibi of using public
funds to make substandard shirts for workers.
"They used money for service delivery to make T-shirts of below
quality," a protester with a t-shirt shouted.
"We will buy our own shirts."
The protesters waited around for a while and then dispersed. Mangaung
officials were not immediately available to respond.
- SAPA
Striking Samwu members halt traffic in the North West
15 April 2010
In South Africa’s North West Province, thousands of SA Municipal Workers
Union (Samwu) members brought traffic to a halt when they held two
simultaneous protest marches in Klerksdorp and Rustenburg.
In Klerksdorp, the protesters from six municipalities in the Dr Kaunda
district municipality, started the protest action from Matlosane local
municipality offices and marched through the town. They trashed refuse
bins into the streets, leaving litter all over the place.
The protesters assembled at the medical centre to read their memorandum
of grievances which includes amongst others, that the South African
Local Government Association (SALGA) as an employer must ensure that
salaries of low income workers should be market related and called for
decisive action on corruption to improve service delivery.
Essential workers prevented from Ekurhuleni strike
Meanwhile the Ekurhuleni Municipality has won an urgent court interdict
preventing essential workers from taking part in the municipal workers'
strike. The Labour Court in Johannesburg granted the municipality the
interdict.
Ekurhuleni Municipal spokesperson Zweli Dlamini says essential workers
include those involved in emergency services and the provision of
services such as electricity, water and sanitation.
“Can you imagine when there's fire and we can’t respond just because
workers are on strike or we have a situation where someone is ill but an
ambulance can’t respond to that call? We could lose lives.” Dlamini said
Dlamini added that they do not have a problem when the union is
embarking on a strike action but the problem is when people start
vandalising council property, threatening members of the public,
threatening other workers and assaulting them in the process.
Bid to end municipal workers' strike continues
16 April 2010
Talks between the South African Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) and
employer's body, the South African Local Government Association (Salga),
will resume at Gallagher Estate in Midrand today.
No resolution has been found yet to the municipal workers' strike. The
workers, who are members of Samwu, have been on a nationwide strike
since Monday. The strike has affected services such as rubbish
collection, leaving cities littered with just 55 days to go before South
Africa hosts the FIFA World Cup.
Samwu spokesperson Tahir Sema confirms that the strike will continue
until the parties reach an agreement. He highlights that the current
talks include issues they have been negotiating on, for the past seven
years. Sema notes that as a result of such issues having been dragged
for so long, workers are frustrated and would like a speedily resolve to
their demands, which they believe are reasonable and legitimate.
According to Sema, their demands will ensure that service delivery is
better carried out throughout the whole country and that the cancer of
corruption is cut out from local government. Following marathon talks
yesterday, the parties seemed closer to reaching an agreement.
Two incidents of violence in Samwu strike
Sapa 14 April 2010
Two incidents of violence had been reported on the third day of a
nationwide strike by the SA Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu), police and
a union representative said on Wednesday.
By late on Wednesday morning, a group of protesting municipal workers
were stoning cars at the municipality hall in central Port Elizabeth,
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Captain Johan Rheede said.
"Today, if there is any damage to property, we will make arrests... we
won't tolerate this behaviour, it's not like yesterday [Tuesday] when
they were just throwing papers in the streets."
In Ekhuruhleni, Red Ants allegedly threw stones at striking workers,
after protests at a municipal building, union spokesperson Tahir Sema said.
"The Red Ants arrived with stones, we have confirmed reports of this...
they began stoning workers and that's when violence broke out.''
"This is very worrying because there was no need for the Red Ants to be
called."
Workers were apparently stoned after a few bins were overturned.
"We see this as an instigation of violence... Samwu had marshals on the
ground, we had all contingency matters in place, everything was under
control."
Sema said that Samwu would be taking the matter further.
In Johannesburg, commuters who used council buses had to make
alternative arrangements.
"Each region conducts their own protests and picketing, it's quite
huge," Sema said.
On Tuesday a bid by the SA Local Government Association (Salga) to
prohibit the industrial action was withdrawn in the Labour Court, with
Salga ordered to carry the strikers' costs of opposing the application.
The strike was a bid by Samwu to resolve seven years of negotiations to
make middle and lower income municipal workers' salaries market related.
The union said this would reduce the salaries of higher-ranking council
employees who were overpaid, and would address corruption which had been
given as a reason for service delivery protests.
The SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry was unhappy that a mass strike
was called as the economy was picking itself up after a bruising
recession, and ahead of the Soccer World Cup. - Sapa
Hundreds disperse after marching to mayor’s office
Liezl Thom (Eyewitness News) 15 April 2010
Hundreds of residents have dispersed after marching to Mayor Gwen
Ramakgopa’s offices in Pretoria.
They were demanding better services including housing, water and
electricity.
The demonstrators gave the Tshwane Metro Council 14 working days to
respond to their memorandum.
They said if this does not happen they will not return to the mayor’s
office but instead they will make the capital ungovernable.
March organisers said they had their hands full trying to convince angry
residents not to resort to violence and said next time they will not
interfere if people want to demonstrate their anger.
Eden Park calm after violent protests
Rahima Essop (Eyewitness News) 18 April
The situation in Eden Park on the East Rand was quiet on Friday morning
following violent service delivery protests.
Demonstrators took to the streets on Thursday accusing government of
ignoring their housing needs.
Some residents forcefully moved int vacant RDP houses and have since
been served with eviction notices.
Police opened fire with rubber bullets several times to disperse the crowds.
Officers have been patrolling the area since Thursday night to ensure
the situation does not get out of hand.
South African business concerned over protests days to World Cup kick-off
APA-Pretoria (South Africa) 14 April 2010
APA-Pretoria (South Africa) With only 56 days to go before the kick off
of the 2010 World Cup in this country, the South African Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (SACCI) on Wednesday expressed grave concern at
protest actions being carried out by the municipal workers.
Over 130,000 members of the South African Municipal Workers Union
(SAMWU) took to the streets across the country on Tuesday, saying their
strike would run indefinitely until they achieve their objectives.
The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) is demanding better
pay and that the South African Local Government Association (Salga)
should introduce a job evaluation system for the workers.
Commenting on the industrial action, the SACCI said disruptions to
essential services would not be condoned.
"The inability of employees in business to get to work as a result of
disruptions to bus services impacts negatively on productivity and
constrains the ability of producers to deliver goods and services on time.
"This places a burden on the country’s hesitant recovery from the global
downturn as contracts are placed in jeopardy due to non performance by
traders," the SACCI said.
According to the Chamber, its members have said that access to
businesses has been hampered due to litter and bins that have been
strewn across the streets by the strikers.
"The fact that shops along the routes taken by marchers have had to
close through fear of vandalism impacts negatively on turnover.
"This in turn impacts on the ability of shop owners to cover expenses
such as the payment of wages to employees. This has a ripple effect on
the economy as workers’ disposable income is reduced," the SACCI explained.
Cities of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Cape Town and the Nelson
Mandela Metro in the Eastern Cape Province have put contingency plans in
place to provide essential services to the public in view of the strike.
FIFA sidelines vendors
Informal traders protest in Johannesburg.
I Africa.com14 Apr 2010
At any South African football match, the scent of grilled meats and
simmering stews wafts through the gates as vendors serve up chicken
feet, sheep head and sausages to arriving fans.
But World Cup visitors will receive a more sanitised experience as
FIFA's stringent commercial rights put a stop to the makeshift kitchens
run by informal traders who normally ply their wares outside stadiums.
"This is a huge setback for us, given the fact that there will be no
other games during the World Cup where we can go," said Amos Ndlovu, who has sold
meats outside Johannesburg's Ellis Park stadium for 14 years.
"We are going to lose income. These FIFA people only care about
themselves and their rights," said the burly man from the shanty town
area of Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg.
Ndlovu's speciality are thick sausages known as wors and a spicy
home-made relish called chakalaka that he buys in bulk a day before the
match.
Early morning on match day, he makes a 30-kilometre (20-mile) drive in
his dilapidated van to get a good spot near the gate and set up his
table and small gas stove. A big match day can triple his weekly income.
"We have permits from the city of Johannesburg. They have been happy
with us all along, then this FIFA came," said Ndlovu angrily.
The 51-year-old estimated he would lose potential earnings of 20,000
rand (3,400 dollars, 2,500 euros) during the World Cup.
He said his services are enjoyed by rich and poor, especially fans who
come straight to stadiums from their jobs and can't afford restaurant food.
"This is a uniquely South African experience. We were looking forward to
sharing it with foreign fans who have no idea how a sheep head is
served," lamented Ndlovu.
His sentiments were shared by Sam Khasibe, head of the National Traders
Forum, an organisation formed to discuss the plight of informal traders
during the World Cup.
FIFA regulations stipulate that only its commercial partners are allowed
to trade and promote their products within an 800-metre radius of
stadiums and fan parks in the country's nine host cities.
According to FIFA lawyers, the penalties for transgressors will be jail
time or a fine, based on the company's profit.
"FIFA is trampling on our rights, this is said to be Africa's World Cup
but how can that be true if Africans are not allowed to do business
during the event," said Khasibe.
A local concession company, Headline Leisure, will be the official
provider of food to fans in and around the stadiums, according to FIFA.
The cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town have also created databases of
accredited hawkers who will be allowed to sell their wares at non-FIFA
zones.
"We have created a database of informal traders in the city, so that
they are known and given an opportunity to benefit from the event,
without interfering with FIFA commercial rights," said Sibongile
Mazibuko, who heads the office in Johannesburg, site of the opening and
final matches.
Mazibuko said the vendors will be allowed access to public viewing areas
not linked to FIFA.
Some vendors who trade away from the restricted zones are gearing up for
a bumper season.
Elliot Chitungo, who sells hand-carved wooden animals and crafts along
the busy stretch of road between the eastern host city of Nelspruit and
Kruger National Park, one of Africa's most popular safari destinations,
said he was looking at hiring extra people to help increase production.
"It is better to be overloaded than to be flat-footed. We are expecting
a lot of visitors coming through this road to Kruger Park," he said.
http://sport.iafrica.com/news/2356942.htm
Samwu condems strike violence
Sapa 14 April 2010
The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) condemned the violence
that has been escalating over the last three days of its nationwide
strike, and promised that extra marshalls would be in place to monitor
their 12 000-member strong strike planned for Durban on Thursday.
"The union would ensure that these matters are dealt with sternly," said
spokesperson Tahir Sema on Wednesday.
"The union has communicated to all of its members that none of this
should take place. It detracts from what we are working for."
Sema said sometimes there were "rogue elements" behind the violence but
added: "It's important to make mention again that the union condemns and
is saddened by the violence. We will take them to task if we can prove
that our members were involved."
Disruption of services
The Samwu warning came at the same time as a City of Johannesburg
complaint about disruption at clinics.
"There are still disturbing reports of acts of intimidation and violence
against non-striking employees at various health facilities. The city
views the situation in a serious light given that fact that primary
healthcare is an essential service and is monitoring the situation," it
said.
Samwu began its nationwide strike on Monday with a peaceful march to the
Johannesburg Metro offices. Over the three days confrontations with
police in other marches and pickets have been increasing, as has neglect
of municipal services.
On Wednesday a group of protesting municipal workers stoned cars at the
municipal hall in central Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape police
spokesperson Captain Johan Rheede said.
"Today, if there is any damage to property, we will make arrests... we
won't tolerate this behaviour, it's not like yesterday [Tuesday] when
they were just throwing papers in the streets."
In Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, private security company the Red
Ants allegedly threw stones at striking workers, after protests at a
municipal building, Sema said.
The metro intends applying for an interdict against Samwu to stop the
strike there.
In Kimberley, 70 people were arrested for public violence after burning
tyres outside the city hall.
Constable Andrea Cloete said protesters were angry because they felt
their demands were not being taken seriously. They started to vandalise
an electric box in front of the city hall and threw bottles and rubbish
at police.
Cloete said after the arrests the remaining protesters dispersed
peacefully to hand a memorandum to their employer, the South African
Local Government Association (Salga).
Arrests
Meanwhile, three striking municipal workers were arrested for public
violence in Port Shepstone on Wednesday, KwaZulu-Natal police said.
“It is believed that they also damaged two police vehicles.Police fired
rubber bullets when the crowd refused to disperse,”Director Phindile
Radebe said.
The association and Samwu delegates were meeting in Midrand to try to
resolve the dispute after Salga withdrew a court application on Tuesday
to stop the strike.
Seven-year struggle
Samwu said it had spent seven years trying to get middle and lower
income municipal workers' salaries market related. The union said this
would reduce salaries of higher-ranking, overpaid council employees, and
would address corruption which was seen as a reason for service delivery
protests.
"These kind of talks can go on for hours, even into the early parts of
the morning," Sema said.
In Durban about 60 municipal workers staged a protest march in the
Durban CBD, said Democratic Alliance councillor Heinz De Boer.
"The group initially formed near the city hall car park, before holding
up traffic as they crossed to the Florence Mkhize building.
"While marching to the building, several members lashed out at a passing
metro police vehicle and another eThekwini municipal vehicle with sticks.
"Several rubbish bins were rolled over while the contents were strewn
across the road," De Boer said, who saw the incident.
Cosatu pledged its "full support and solidarity" with Samwu's 130 000
municipal workers. -- Sapa
Municipal strike will continue ‘indefinitely’
14 April 2010
The nationwide strike by the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) would
continue indefinitely, said a spokesman.
“Until some sort of resolve is reached with the SA Local Government
Association (Salga), this strike will continue,” said union spokesman
Tahir Sema.
A bid by Salga to prohibit the strike was withdrawn yesterday in the
Labour Court, with Salga ordered to carry the strikers’ costs of
opposing the application.
The strike follows a bid by Samwu to resolve seven years of negotiations
to make middle- and lower-income municipal workers’ wages market-related.
The union said this would reduce the salaries of higher-ranking council
employees, who were overpaid, and address corruption, which had been
given as a reason for service delivery protests.
The SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry was unhappy about the mass
strike at a time when the economy was picking itself up after a bruising
recession, and ahead of the soccer World Cup.
Unhappy council workers expand strike
Reuters 13 April 2010
Municipal workers will expand their national strike over a pay dispute,
further disrupting public services and increasing fears of chaos in
cities ahead of the Fifa World Cup.
Thousands of members of the South African Municipal Workers Union
(Samwu) took to the streets on Monday, halting basic services like
street sweeping, rubbish collection and vehicle licensing, and reminding
worried residents of last year's action when streets were littered with
trash and burning tyres.
"Workers want to see matters resolved speedily," Samwu Secretary General
Mthandeki Nhlapo said on Tuesday of the open-ended strike. "But there
will be no compromise from our side."
Samwu said it planned to intensify existing strikes and to organise
strikes in new areas in addition to the present ones.
It has put forward a number of demands including changes in the way the
South African Local Government Association (Salga) evaluates employees
and its disciplinary codes.
The strike is not expected to have a major economic impact, but will
embarrass the government at a time of international scrutiny, when
preparations are under way to host the World Cup in June.
Workers began striking after the Labour Court dismissed on Saturday a
legal attempt by Salga employers to block the stoppage. Salga withdrew
its case earlier on Tuesday.
Samwu said its second major protest march in Johannesburg would take
place on Thursday. - Reuters
The SA Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) national strike continued today.
This video shows footage of the action in Port Elizabeth, where police
used stun grenades to disperse protesters after they blocked Govan Mbeki
Avenue. Six Samwu members were arrested. The strike centres around a bid
by Samwu to resolve seven years of negotiations to make middle and lower
income municipal workers’ salaries market related.
Labour problems at Aurora mines deepen
Times 14 April 2010
Aurora Empowerment Systems sank a little deeper into trouble yesterday
with mine workers at its Orkney operations outside Klerksdorp also
downing tools until their March wages are paid.
This is the second mine at which Aurora is facing difficulties, with
workers at the company's Grootvlei mine on the East Rand having already
vowed not to return to work until they are paid their outstanding wages.
Aurora, the broad-based black economic empowerment specialist investment
company, last week promised to pay Grootvlei mine workers their wages
for February but reneged on the deal that would have seen workers return
to work by Monday this week.
President Jacob Zuma's nephew, Khulubuse Zuma, is Aurora's chairman and
former President Nelson Mandela's grandson, Zondwa Mandela, is its
managing director.
Maja Mphahlele, the National Union of Mineworkers' regional co-ordinator
in Matlosana, said: "Our workers downed tools in protest for their
wages. It is almost two weeks that we have not been working here."
Mphahlele told Business Times that at a meeting between the union and
Aurora management late yesterday afternoon, the company asked the union
to convince its members to return to work and promised to pay salaries
in 10 days' time.
However, Mphahlele pointed out that "Aurora has not paid the insurance
that covers workers injured while on duty".
He said: "Underground accidents happen all the time and if our members
get hurt while underground, they are not covered."
Workers could not be expected to conduct dangerous jobs like going
underground on empty stomachs.
"They told us that they will come back to us, but we don't know when,"
Mphahlele said.
Aurora said yesterday that Grootvlei mine workers would return to work
tomorrow.
However, Frasy Namanyana, NUM chairman at Aurora East Rand, said:
"Workers have vowed to leave the company in droves once they receive
their wages."
Aurora spokesman Sheshile Ngubane said he was negotiating with Rand
Water to have water supplies restored to the former Pamodzi Gold mine.
Aurora sinking deeper into trouble
Sowetan 14 April 2010
IT’S A WAR: Aurora mineworkers clash with police (in this picture taken
last Wednesday) after their protest over a lack of food at their hostel
and the company’s failure to pay their wages. PHOTO: ALON SKUY
Orkney mineworkers also down tools over unpaid wages
AURORA Empowerment Systems, the broad-based black economic empowerment
specialist investment company, sank deeper into trouble yesterday, with
mineworkers at its Orkney operations outside Klerksdorp also downing
tools until their March wages are paid.
This is the second mine at which Aurora is facing difficulties after
workers at the company’s Grootvlei mine on the East Rand also vowed not
to return to work until their outstanding pay is received.
Aurora last week promised to pay Grootvlei mineworkers their wages for
February but reneged on the deal that would have seen workers return to
their stations by Monday this week.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) yesterday said Orkney’s
employees, like the ones at Grootvlei, have vowed to return to work only
once they have received their wages.
“Our workers downed tools a while ago in protest for their wages. It is
almost two weeks that we have not been working here,” said Maja
Mphahlele, the NUM’s regional coordinator in Matlosana.
Meanwhile, workers at Grootvlei were still waiting for their outstanding
payments as agreed at another meeting on Monday.
The NUM said Aurora had again committed itself to paying workers who
hadnot been paid and those that had not been paid in full.
“But given Aurora’s record of not doing as it says, it remains to be
seen whether indeed Grootvlei workers will be paid by close of business
today,” the NUM said.
The union later sent a statement refuting claims of workers returning to
work at Grootvlei.
“Workers have vowed to leave the company in droves once they have
received their wages,” said Frasy Namanyana, NUM chairperson at Aurora
East Rand.
“The NUM regrets the propaganda that the company has embarked on in an
attempt to send ‘correct’ messages to investors. We reject the notion
that there is an agreement to go back to work as nonsense,” Namanyana said.
A meeting was scheduled between Aurora and the NUM’s regional leadership
representing Orkney workers in Matlosana yesterday afternoon .
Mphahlele said the union’s main concern was that its members were not
paid, and “until such time they are paid their March salaries, they will
not go back to work”. – I-Net Bridge and Staff Reporter
Sisulu upset by ‘ticking time bomb’ report
Wyndham Hartley 14 April 2010
Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu yesterday pronounced herself highly
upset by a report to Parliament describing the staff situation in the
South African National Defence Force (SANDF) as “a ticking time bomb”,
declaring that it had no legal standing.
The report — by the interim national defence force service commission
last November — came a few weeks after an illegal protest march by
serving soldiers on the Union Buildings in Pretoria had turned violent
and looting marchers had to be dispersed by police with force.
While Sisulu told Parliament’s defence committee that the oral report by
interim commission chairman Judge Ronnie Bosielo had no standing because
it had not been served before her or the Cabinet, the situation was
deemed so serious that in early December she announced unprecedented
salary increases .
Bosielo and his commissioners had shocked MPs with descriptions of
soldiers’ living conditions as “sub- human” and an opinion that if the
situation was not dealt with urgently “it would be regretted”.
Democratic Alliance MP David Maynier had asked Sisulu why the “ticking
time bomb” report had not been tabled in the committee and when this
would be done.
Sisulu responded that the report was a breach of protocol because the
committee had been briefed before she was — “it was most unfortunate and
I was upset”.
Maynier then asked if such an interim report could be made available to
the committee before it sat in judgment on Sisulu’s budget vote. She
responded it was work in progress and she could not say when.
Sisulu also informed the committee that she would soon be bringing
urgent changes to the Defence Act to Parliament which would allow the
deployment of the reserve force at any time. Currently the act allows a
call-up of reserves in cases of war or states of emergency only, and not
in peace time.
The minister explained that the plan was to use the reserves to
safeguard SA’s borders. Notoriously porous, the defence of SA’s borders
was taken from the military and given to the police, but now the
function has been reassigned to the SANDF . Sisulu said the plan had
been endorsed by the Cabinet.
She said changing the act to give the minister a key role in the
appointment of the heads of services (air force, army and navy) in the
future, was also on the agenda.
She said the constitution and the act were “mismatched” because the
constitution said the president as commander in chief should appoint the
“military command” of the defence force while the act only provided for
him to appoint the secretary of defence and the chief of the defence force.
The changes would provide for the president to continue appointing the
secretary and chief of the defence force in consultation with the
minister and for the heads of service to be appointed by the minister in
consultation with the chief of the defence force .
Close riot school - cops
Kowthar Solomons Staff Reporter 14 April 2010
Police asked the Western Cape Education Department today to close a
Malmesbury school after its pupils set fire to classrooms yesterday.
After the incident, residents and pupils clashed with police for several
hours. During the chaos, residents also started looting Somali owned shops.
This morning Malmesbury police spokesman Constable Henry du Rand said
police were outside the Naphakade Primary and Secondary School,
monitoring the situation.
Du Rand said the police had asked the department to close the schools
and was waiting for their decision. He said, however, he had been told
by the school that classes would continue as normal.
Also, Du Rand said a group of 30 people vandalised several Somali-owned
shops and demanded cash.
"We cannot guarantee these people's safety. We have advised Somali
shopkeepers to leave their stores and stay with family away from the
area until we are certain the area is safe," said Du Rand.
Yesterday, about 30 police vehicles arrived with officers in full riot
gear after about 250 pupils from the two schools, housed in one
building, started setting fire to classrooms to protest against
overcrowding.
More than 1 500 pupils on both primary and high school level are forced
to share 25 classrooms. Pupils demanded the education department build
another school.
Teachers tried for several hours to persuade pupils to leave but failed.
Police then stormed the school.
As officers forced pupils off the school grounds, residents gathered
outside trying to stop police from removing the pupils.
Once all the pupils were outside the school grounds a resident threw a
stone at police.
Police then began firing rubber bullets and stun grenades at the crowd
of about 300 people.
Pupil Zondo Busa, 17, said he was forced to run into a nearby house for
cover.
"I just got outside the gates and everyone was screaming for the police
to leave. Then suddenly a rock came flying towards the police and they
just started firing, I ran across the road and into the first house I
could see."
Police continued to shoot as more and more residents began throwing
stones at them.
The crowd dispersed after a short while, but remained in smaller groups
in the vicinity of the school.
After a second volley of stones, police left the school grounds and
fired shots into the groups to disperse them. A section of the crowd
then started burning tyres in the the road outside the school.
They aggravated the situation and police "came in full force, clearing
the streets and forcing residents into their homes", said community
leader Neil Niemand.
Police vehicles attempting to pass through or enter the area were stoned.
By 6pm tensions had eased and most residents headed home. Du Rand said
four suspects, aged between 16 and 21, were arrested for public violence
and arson.
"This whole thing is a shame. The students had a legitimate cause and
they went about it the wrong way and it ended in this," said Niemand.
According to Niemand, the school has become a haven for drugs, violence
and sex abuse.
"We've had numerous cases of rape at the school. Over the last two
months at least three schoolgirls were raped on the premises with the
youngest victim being seven years old.
"This is not the type of thing young people should be around and the
Education Department needs to step in and do something."
Du Rand said the police had gone in with a "soft" attitude but should
another incident like this occur police would come down hard.
Last night a group of about 100 angry pupils and parents marched around
the community, and gathered outside of the school, under heavy police guard.
About six police vans and several police officers kitted in riot gear
left the premises at 7.30pm.
A meeting had been arranged with the governing body and parents at 6pm.
By 9pm, none of the school officials had arrived.
Bronagh Casey, spokeswoman for MEC Donald Grant, said today that a new
high school in the area had been budgeted for and was ready to go out
for tender.
The department was doing everything possible to ensure that a new school
would be ready for 2012. They would also do everything they could to
ensure the safety of the pupils.
* This article was originally published on page 3 of The Cape Argus on
April 14, 2010
World Cup beds selling at varsities
THE ongoing strike at the University of KwaZulu-Natal has done little to
stop major refurbishments taking place at the campus to accommodate
tourists for the World Cup.The R20million upgrade, which will be
completed next month, will see more than 12000 soccer fans being
accommodated in single and double rooms with about 8000 beds.
Student protests continue
STUDENTS at the University of KwaZulu-Natal have continued with their
protest, moving to Howard campus yesterday.Hundreds of students, in the
second day of protests, gathered at the Shepstone building where they
were updated by student leaders about the ongoing talks between the SRC
and management.
http://www.hesa.org.za/hesa/index.php/news/dhen
Farm attacks: An analysis
James Myburgh (Politics web) 14 April 2010
James Myburgh argues that the criminal does not cancel out the political
JOHANNESBURG - The brutal killing of AWB leader Eugene Terre'Blanche has
once again highlighted the murderous phenomenon of farm attacks in South
Africa. According SAPS statistics there were 9,378 farm attacks,
resulting in 1,437 killings, between 1994 and mid-2007 (at which point
the police stopped publishing statistics.) These figures are staggering
given that there are an estimated 40,000 commercial farmers in South
Africa, down from 60,000 several years ago.
The question previously raised about these killings is whether there is
some kind of malign political motive behind them. This concern has
recently been sent into hyper drive by ANCYL President Julius Malema's
singing of ‘shoot the boer' and the ANC's complacent defence of his
right to do so.
But as the Mail & Guardian noted this week the phenomenon, despite being
intermittently written about for the past decade, is not well
understood. Part of the problem, perhaps, is the way in which it is
often assumed that the ‘criminal' element of a killing (theft or
robbery) automatically cancels out any possible political or racial motive.
On the face of it, this opposition seems to me to be misconceived. At
the extreme: the persecution of prosperous minorities - whether in
Germany or Uganda or Zimbabwe - almost always went hand-in-hand with the
theft of their property. (Such annihilation processes are driven
forwarded by a furious churn of motives - including resentment, greed,
hatred and, ultimately, fear of justice and revenge.)
A proper study of the phenomenon of farm attacks would have to dissect
the relationship (if any) between the criminal and political. The
motives of the perpetrators would need to be teased out and analysed, as
well as their political histories or lack thereof.
As far as I am aware this has never been convincingly done. Last year,
however, the Daily Dispatch published an brilliant piece of
investigative journalism into the phenomenon of attacks on Somali
immigrants. This provides a fascinating insight into how prejudice,
criminality and government indifference can combine with deadly results.
In his investigation Thaduxolo Jika conducted a series of prison
interviews with Andile Tunzana - a criminal responsible for the murder
of at least four Somali immigrants in the Eastern Cape. Tunzana
explained why he had killed as follows: "We knew they had a lot of money
in their shops and had no guns to fight back. We shot those who tried to
resist and then looked for money. No one cared for them in the township
because they are grigambas."
He added: "I did not care much about robbing any other person who looks
like me because I know that they might be struggling to survive. The
Somalis were just other foreign people with money and no one cared about
them."
From Jika's report it is clear that Tunzana's actions were driven by a
combination of criminal, opportunistic and racial motives. Somali
shopkeepers were targeted not just because they had money to steal (the
criminal), but because they were seen as soft and morally acceptable
targets. The fact that the local community was indifferent to their fate
made it easier to get away with these crimes.
It seems likely that many of the murders of (often old) white farmers by
criminals would be driven by a similar combination of motives. Farmers
are isolated and vulnerable. They also possess valuable goods (often
guns) which makes them worth targeting. For many young criminal
psychopaths this is probably reason enough to attack these targets. The
key question is though whether farmers are seen as legitimate targets in
the same way that Somali shopkeepers were?
It is in this context that the culpability of the ANC needs to be
evaluated. At the very best the ruling party is guilty of malign neglect
on such crime. Part of the reason why this epidemic has run unchecked
for so long is that the ANC has done little to turn farmers from soft
targets into hard targets. Indeed, their interventions (such as
disbanding the commandos and pushing whites out of the police force)
have tended to run in the opposite direction.
It is also difficult to see how Malema's rhetoric could not but provide
a kind of moral green light to those thinking about targeting farmers.
It is not just the singing of ‘shoot the boer' that is menacing. In an
address to a Black Management Forum conference in October 2009 he
stated, to the laughter of delegates, "At the negotiations pre-1994,
they [the whites] said to us that for them to agree we must accept the
willing buyer-willing seller idea. But now we must say we can't buy the
land from you because you stole it from us." Is it really a crime, in
other words, to take back ‘stolen' property?
The real problem is that Malema did not invent the song, or this
propaganda. He is simply articulating - in a crude, reckless and
self-destructive way - deep underlying pathologies within the ANC. As he
recently noted he's been singing ‘shoot the boer' ever since joining the
ANC, aged nine. No-one complained before. So why all the fuss now?
Residents of Nquthu set to strike
Canaan Mdletshe (Sowetan) 14 April 2010
THEY applied timeously for permission to protest against a lack of
service delivery and were turned down, so now fed-up Nquthu, northern
KwaZulu-Natal, residents have vowed to go ahead with their protest today.
Sowetan is in possession of a copy of their last application letter –
dated March 26 – in which they applied for permission to protest on
April 16.
Sowetan is also in possession of the municipality’s response
acknowledging receipt of the letter and turning it down because of the
current SA Municipal Workers Union’s strike.
Meluleki Ndlovu of Sizakancane Small Business Association said they had
applied three times to the Nquthu municipality and were turned down on
all three occasions because “municipal officials are covering up
corruption and failing to deliver the necessary services to people”.
The Nquthu municipality is one of the poorest in the province. Ndlovu
said the municipality was using the strike as a scapegoat.
“Residents are fed up because there’s no development taking place. We
wanted to march to raise our grievances,” he said.
Municipal manager Bongi Gumbi did not respond to our calls and text
messages.
Gold One strike continues as company digs its heels
NUM 15 April 2010
The strike by over one thousand workers at Gold One Mine outside Springs
in the East Rand is in its fourth week as the Australian company digged
in its heels over the living out allowance. Workers remain determined to
strike until a resolution is found. “Our workers are saying they are not
going to be starved. If the company hopes to starve them to return, then
it is living in a fool ‘s paradise” says Thomas Ketsise, the NUM‘s Chief
Negotiator at Gold One. “We will strike until the end of the year if
needs be and it is likely that this strike will last that long” says
Ketsise. Negotiations have been postponed today owing to what the
company referred to as some odd incidents at the mine. The National
Union of Mineworkers calls on the company to deliver housing to the
workers who largely stay in shacks around the mine. “Our workers stay in
shacks as the company refuse to give them a living out allowance. They
create millions of rands for few individuals called investors and
shareholders and get kicked in return” says Ketsise.
Thomas Ketsise- 082 884 2754
Lesiba Seshoka
Head: Media & Communications
National Union of Mineworkers
Tel: (011) 377 2047
Mobile: 082 803 6719
LesibaS@num.org.za
Solidarity: Residents of Soetwater being evicted withoutcourt order
AEC Solidarity Press Release 14 April 2010
The residents of Soetwater in Ocean View are currently being evicted by the City Police services.
The community did not get any proper notification of this eviction and there has been no court order. They are acting on orders from individuals and there has been no due-process. This makes the eviction an illegal and a criminal act.
The community urgently needs your support as they are fighting against the eviction please phone Renal on 073 616 5683.
For more, please visit the website of the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign at:
www.antieviction.org.za and follow us on www.twitter.com/antieviction
Visit Abahlali baseMjondolo at www.abahlali.org and www.khayelitshastruggles.com
The Poor People's Alliance: Abahlali baseMjondolo, together with with Landless People's Movement (Gauteng), the Rural Network (KwaZulu-Natal) and the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign, is part of the Poor People's Alliance - a unfunded national network of democratic membership based poor people's movements.
Police, guards fire at Gold One workers
NUM 15 April 2010
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) strongly condemns the action and attitudes of both the guards and police at Gold One mine outside Springs who had randomly fired at the striking workers. The workers who were attending a meeting were first provoked by the Mine guards who shots live ammunition and injured one worker who is currently critical in hospital. Police then later arrived who also in military style started shooting at the poor workers. The NUM has approached the local police station to report the matter and open a case against the culprits. The NUM will not be intimidated into submissiveness by the mine as well as the police and will as from tomorrow intensify the strike action at Gold One so that it takes months if needs be. “We are very disappointed at the action of the police and the guards. The police ‘s action is factional and we will take them on” says Scelo Gcabashe, the NUM ‘s Deputy Regional Secretary in the PWV region.
Scelo Gcabashe-084 596 9922
Lesiba Seshoka
Head: Media & Communications
National Union of Mineworkers
Tel: (011) 377 2047
Mobile: 082 803 6719
LesibaS@num.org.za
'If they don't pay us we will keep striking'
Mail & Guardian 15 April 2010
A festive atmosphere reigned at Johannesburg's Mary Fitzgerald Square as South African Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) members danced and ran laps of the precinct ahead of their march through the city centre on Thursday.
Police brought out the cavalry, with Nyalas, the mounted unit, foot patrols and vans, as people jogged to the square for the march, which was expected to attract thousands of people.
"The situation looks orderly and under control," said metro police Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar, who earlier warned motorists to avoid the inner city.
Carrying tree branches, knobkierries and sjamboks, Samwu members descended on the square for the 11.30am march through the city centre.
Police were standing guard to prevent bin tipping, which had become a trademark of the union's marches.
"We could do another one or two months, we don't mind. If they don't pay us we will keep striking," said 32-year-old Madikana Ramodisa, as cries of "Amandla" bellowed from the loudspeakers.
The dress code was a combination of yellow and red Samwu T-shirts or black T-shirts with the words "YOU make Jo'burg great".
"We want equalised pay. They pay us peanuts and their pockets are full," said a Samwu member, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A striking bus driver said: "Even in apartheid you had to fight to get what you want, and that is why we strike," as the group ran around the square waving a large Samwu flag.
Their first stop would be the department of local government and then on to Premier Nomvula Mokonyane's office to hand over a memorandum.
Council officials have largely downplayed the effect of the strike, but in Johannesburg Metrobus had stopped working, and refuse had not been collected in many areas. There were also reports of disruptions at clinics.
Interdict
The Ekurhuleni metro, east of Johannesburg, intended applying for an interdict to stop the strike so that services could resume.
The strike centres mostly on a demand for market-related salaries for lower- and middle-income employees. Samwu wanted this to apply to higher ranking officials' salaries too as they said they were overpaid and awarding themselves perks.
Samwu said this would go some way to addressing service-delivery protests, where corruption had been raised as a cause for the protests.
Similar scenes were unfolding in Durban at Botha's Park.
A group of about 50 policemen carrying guns, with some on motorbikes, monitored the gathering.
Samwu members would march along Dr Pixely Ka-Seme Street (West Street) to the City Hall.
Meanwhile, the South African Local Government Association said a late night meeting with Samwu had yielded a number of proposals to resolve the impasse.
However, they would not be discussed publicly until members had been consulted.
The strike also garnered support from the Anti-Privatisation Forum, with a statement saying workers could not continue to put up with socio-economic inequalities. -- Sapa
www.mg.co.za
Gold One strike continues as company digs its heels
NUM 15 April 2010
The strike by over one thousand workers at Gold One Mine outside Springs in the East Rand is in its fourth week as the Australian company digged in its heels over the living out allowance. Workers remain determined to strike until a resolution is found. “Our workers are saying they are not going to be starved. If the company hopes to starve them to return, then it is living in a fool ‘s paradise” says Thomas Ketsise, the NUM‘s Chief Negotiator at Gold One. “We will strike until the end of the year if needs be and it is likely that this strike will last that long” says Ketsise. Negotiations have been postponed today owing to what the company referred to as some odd incidents at the mine. The National Union of Mineworkers calls on the company to deliver housing to the workers who largely stay in shacks around the mine. “Our workers stay in shacks as the company refuse to give them a living out allowance. They create millions of rands for few individuals called investors and shareholders and get kicked in return” says Ketsise.
Thomas Ketsise- 082 884 2754
Lesiba Seshoka
Head: Media & Communications
National Union of Mineworkers
Tel: (011) 377 2047
Mobile: 082 803 6719
LesibaS@num.org.za
Ekurhuleni Municipality intends to interdict SAMWU
SAMWU PRESS STATEMENT. 14 April 2010
We have received papers that the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality intends to approach the court tomorrow to interdict the SAMWU membership in Ekurhuleni. We have seen the affidavit and can confirm that it is full of lies and propaganda.
The Municipality intends on using the lies and propaganda in the affidavit to convince the Judge to grant them an interim order to derail the strike action in Ekurhuleni. This is yet another example of how the public’s money is being fruitlessly used in unnecessary court cases and by hiring expensive lawyers to deal with cases that have no grounds and or merit.
We view the application for the interdict as a useless and frivolous tactic in order to derail the National Strike action by SAMWU. Our members should not be scared or intimidated by the tactics which SALGA is using, these tactics have also been condemned by Members of Parliament.
We call on the Municipality to withdraw their application in the interest of saving public funds. This is an indication that the employer is negotiating in bad faith. Our members on the ground are resolute and would be intensifying the strike action, until such time that SALGA sobers up and comes to the negotiating table with reasonable proposals to our demands.
For further comment contact the SAMWU Ekurhuleni Branch Secretary Koena Ramotlou on 073 254 9394
Issued by:
Tahir Sema.
South African Municipal Workers' Union of COSATU.
National Media and Publicity officer.
tahir.sema@samwu.org.za
Office: 011-331 0333.
Cell: 0829403403.
NUM declares a dispute with Xstrata Alloys
NUM 15 April 2010
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has this morning declared a dispute with Xstrata Alloys ‘s Eastern Mines at Thorncliff shaft outside Burgersfort, Limpopo at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration over issues related to the recognition agreement. The chrome company unilaterally terminated a recognition agreement with the NUM citing declining membership whilst failing to provide the union with evidence within 60 days as stipulated in clause 4.8.3 of the said agreement. “There is a total collapse of HR systems at Xstrata and we hope the CCMA will assist” says William Mabapa, the NUM ‘s Regional Secretary in North East region. “If the CCMA fails due to the arrogance displayed by Xstrata, then they must give us a certificate to strike as a matter of urgency” says Mabapa. The company is clearly campaigning for a rival union. The NUM calls on Xstrata to abide by the contents and terms of the recognition agreement to avoid imminent confrontation.
William Mabapa- (NUM Regional Secretary in North East)- 082 880 4439
Lesiba Seshoka
Head: Media & Communications
National Union of Mineworkers
Tel: (011) 377 2047
Mobile: 082 803 6719
LesibaS@num.org.za
COSATU backs SAMWU strike
Cosatu 15 April 2010
The Congress of South African Trade Unions pledges its full support and solidarity with SAMWU’s 130 000 municipal workers who have been on a national protected strike from 12 April 2010.
SAMWU has waited 7 long years to achieve proper salaries for all municipal workers, since they first concluded a Job Evaluation Agreement with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) in 2003, which was supposed to ensure that all employees in the same category within a municipality will be paid equally.
SALGA’s proposed grading system, however, requires salaries to be set according to ‘wage curves’, which will differ, depending on how big your municipality is, its income and any assistance it receives from central government. COSATU fully agrees with SAMWU that this allows individual municipalities to arbitrarily grade jobs and assign their own salary to that job, which leads to massive abuse and favouritism that is not conducive to sound work practices.
The federation is appalled that SALGA wants to compare and peg municipal wages at 2008 levels whilst municipal managers and councillors continue to pay themselves hugely inflated salaries, bonuses and grant themselves other perks.
COSATU is also angry that whilst SALGA underpays municipal workers, it continues to fire workers. This undermines service delivery and costs tens of millions of rands in fees for the high-priced lawyers hired to do this job, whilst labour relations department officials continue to draw fat salaries.
Municipalities are not using disciplinary action as a corrective measure, but to punish individual workers. This attempt to dismiss workers at all costs is a sign of disrespect and contempt for workers who work under extremely difficult conditions to deliver services.
The federation knows that SAMWU has not taken the step to strike lightly. They have been negotiating on job evaluation since 2003 and on the disciplinary procedure since 2008. We accept that the union has done all it can at the negotiating table. We fully back their decision that it is now time for these matters to be resolved through industrial action.
COSATU demands that SALGA stops being confrontational and stubborn, and sits down to negotiate seriously with the union. COSATU will, as always, be willing to offer any assistance it can to bring the parties together so that a settlement can be reached at the earliest opportunity.
The federation agrees with SAMWU that “2010 will not be a year where we surrender our rights. We will fight for proper delivery of services with a well-paid, motivated staff, free of fear of victimisation. We want municipalities to use their resources to fund service delivery and not target the union and its members. This is the only way we will be able to take local government forward.”
• No to exploitation of municipal workers!
• Yes to fair wages!
• No to SALGA’s attacks on the union!
• Yes to scoring a goal for justice and decent work!
Patrick Craven (National Spokesperson)
Congress of South African Trade Unions
1-5 Leyds Cnr Biccard Streets
Braamfontein, 2017
P.O. Box 1019
Johannesburg, 2000
SOUTH AFRICA
Tel: +27 11 339-4911/24
Fax: +27 11 339-5080/6940/ 086 603 9667
Cell: 0828217456
patrick@cosatu.org.za
STRIKE ACTION AT BEARINGMAN BY NUMSA MEMBERS!
NUMSA 13 April 2010
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) members working at Bearingman at Denver facility, Johannesburg, Gauteng province, have down tools and will be embarking on a protracted strike action as from tomorrow Wednesday 14 April 2010.
This strike action should be located and understood within the many negotiations that will be led by Numsa as it relates our commitment for fight for decent work for decent pay. The workers are using the strike action as the weapon to exert pressure to the intransigent Bearingman management to meet the following simple demands;
Adjustment of wages to R1400-00 across the board;
The wage increment by 13,5%
Improved Medical Aid contribution by the employer to 75% And
Two (2) weeks paternity leave as well as four (4) months paid maternity leave.
The strike action will be addressed by the leadership of both Numsa and Cosatu in the province.
The details are as follows:
DATE: 14 April 2010
TIME: 10H00am
VENUE:Bearingman, Droste Crescent Park, Jeppestown, JHB
Members of the media are hereby invited to attend and report.
Contact:
Sizwe Dlamini
Regional Secretary – 083 759 3123
Students continue to protest
Sapa 13 April 2010
Students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) were protesting on
the Howard College campus, the students' representative council (SRC) said.
“We are continuing with the protest. At the moment we are busy with
negotiations with management. We are confident that we might reach an
agreement,” said Thanduxolo Sabelo, president of the SRC.
The students wanted the university to provide accommodation for about
200 students.
They were also upset that around 200 students were excluded from
studying because they could not afford to pay their fees.
The food at the university was not up to standard and food prices were
extremely high, Sabelo said.
UKZN students from the Edgewood campus protested on Monday.
Police Director Phindile Radebe said they had not received any reports
of disruptions on the campus but they were ready for any situation.
In March students from the Durban University of Technology protested
against poor accommodation and high food prices. When students went on
the rampage, police fired rubber bullets resulting in university
management closing the institution.
UKZN student protests continue
SAPA 13 April 2010
Durban - Students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) were
protesting on the Howard College campus on Tuesday morning, the
students' representative council (SRC) said.
“We are continuing with the protest. At the moment we are busy with
negotiations with management. We are confident that we might reach an
agreement,” said Thanduxolo Sabelo, president of the SRC.
The students wanted the university to provide accommodation for about
200 students.
They were also upset that around 200 students were excluded from
studying because they could not afford to pay their fees.
The food at the university was not up to standard and food prices were
extremely high, Sabelo said.
UKZN students from the Edgewood campus protested on Monday.
Police Director Phindile Radebe said they had not received any reports
of disruptions on the campus but they were ready for any situation.
In March students from the Durban University of Technology protested
against poor accommodation and high food prices. When students went on
the rampage, police fired rubber bullets resulting in university
management closing the institution.
A task team was appointed by Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande to
address problems facing that institution.
- SAPA
NMMU students protest over high food costs, fee increases
Dineo Matomela matomelad@avusa.co.za
13 April 2010
NELSON Mandela Metropolitan University students took to the streets
yesterday in protest at high food prices on campus.
The disgruntled students sang songs and waved placards with statements
including “Stop excluding poor students” before handing a memorandum of
understanding to university vice-chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz.
The students demanded the renovation of residences and the serving of
fresh food.
First-year social work student Sinethemba Singatha, 18, who was at the
march, said: “They give us a limit of R50 a day for food which is not
enough. A plate of food costs R22. We don’t eat breakfast, only lunch
and supper. Students are going hungry.”
Third-year BCom Statistics student Siboniso Ndlovu, 23, said the
quantity and quality of food sold on campus was poor and expensive.
“Prices are high. A loaf of bread on campus costs R9, whereas it costs
R7 at a Pick ’n Pay.
“I once suffered from food poisoning because we are also ate old food.”
The march was organised by the Students’ Representative Council (SRC).
SRC president Mziyanda Danster said the university’s meal management
system was failing the students because it was not taking dietary needs
into account.
He said the food was unhealthy and students were sometimes served
expired food.
“For instance, you eat yesterday’s rice and the veggies are old.”
Danster said the university’s Second Avenue campus cafeteria closed at
4pm although it had to cater for the supper of students.
“The R1000 a month given to students is not enough as it runs out before
the month ends.”
He added that students were not happy with the increase in both
residence and tuition fees while facilities remained poor.
“Fees are increasing, but nothing has changed. For example, we are still
sleeping on old beds and we are still using old furniture in our residences.
Monwabisi Ncayiyana from the SA Students’ Congress (Sasco) said the
university granted loans through the National Student Financial Aid
Scheme to 13000 students this year due to the financial meltdown.
“Funding was cut from R2-million last year to R1-million this year. I
believe 13000 more students could have received funding,” he said.
“Some students have gone home because they did not receive a loan.”
After receiving the memorandum, Swartz told The Herald that in fact the
government and not the university was to blame.
“I have a great deal of empathy with the situation of indigent students
struggling to make ends meet with the very limited amount of State
funding received through the National Financial Student Aid Scheme.
“The truth is, the amount of money allocated to poor students, and per
capita amounts allocated to individual students at universities is
simply not enough to support them, and this is the chief source of the
stress.”
He said the council was considering emergency relief for the most
indigent students, without placing the institution at risk.
Sacci concerned at Samwu protest action
BuaNews 13 April 2010
Pretoria - The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci)
has expressed grave concern at protest actions with just over 50 days to
go before kick off to the World Cup.
This as over 130 000 members of the South African Municipal Workers
Union (Samwu) took to the streets across the country on Tuesday.
The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) wants the South
African Local Government Association (Salga) to introduce a job
evaluation system for workers.
SACCI said disruptions to essential services cannot be condoned. "The
inability of employees in business to get to work as a result of
disruptions to bus services impacts negatively on productivity and
constrains the ability of producers to deliver goods and services on time.
"This places a burden on the country's hesitant recovery from the global
downturn as contracts are placed in jeopardy due to non performance by
traders," said Sacci.
According to the Chamber its members have said that access to businesses
has been hampered due to litter and bins that have been strewn across
the streets.
"The fact that shops along the routes taken by marchers have had to
close through fear of vandalism impacts negatively on turnover.
"This in turn impacts on the ability of shop owners to cover expenses
such as the payment of wages to employees. This has a ripple effect on
the economy as workers' disposable income is reduced," explained Sacci.
The City of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, the City of Cape Town and
the Nelson Mandela Metro in the Eastern Cape have put contingency plans
in place to provide essential services to the public. - BuaNews
Red Ants stoned striking members – Samwu
Imraan Karolia (Eyewitness News) 13 April 2010
The Samwu secretary in Ekurhuleni Koena Ramotloa on Tuesday said Red Ant
workers stoned the union’s striking members.
Striking municipal workers have been trashing several areas on the East
Rand since the nationwide strike began on Monday.
The council has confirmed that the Red Ants have been called in for
backup to maintain order.
“The Red Ants arrived at every scene carrying stones in their own
vehicles,” Ramotloa said.
In Benoni, small rocks littered the walkway leading to the municipal
building after its glass walls were smashed yesterday.
The Benoni police’s Jannie van Aswegen said, "The police kept the
situation quite calm but until the Red Ants arrived on the scene they
actually arrived with a truck full of stones and that’s when things
[got] quite out of hand.”
The municipality said it has not received any reports of intimidation
carried out by the unit.
(Edited by Deshnee Subramany)
Municipal workers’ strike to continue indefinitely
Rahima Essop (Eyewitness News) 13 April 2010
Municipal workers’ union Samwu on Tuesday said it would be intensifying
its nationwide strike.
Workers downed tools across the country on Monday to urge the South
African Local Government Association (Salga) to introduce a uniform job
evaluation system. The union also wants Salga to stop using external
lawyers during disciplinary procedures.
Demonstrations in most cities were conducted peacefully but there were
reports of workers overturning rubbish bins and intimidating
non-striking workers.
Samwu’s General Secretary Mthandeki Nhlapo maintained the municipal
workers strike was indefinite. He said the mass action would continue in
different forms. This includes nationwide protest marches.
Nhlapo accused Salga of spreading lies about the legality of the strike.
He went as far as saying the employer body was behaving "arrogantly."
He said Salga was simply wasting of ratepayers’ money by approaching the
Labour Court.
“This once more shows to the public how they are misusing public funds
by going to court, but then withdrawing the case,” he said.
Howwever, Salga’s Mzwanele Yawa claimed Samwu had not been attending
meetings where issues could be ironed out.
“We said to them last week on Tuesday the meeting was attended by the
deputy minister of corporate governance. They promised to come back to
us on the Thursday [but] they did not. They [then] promised to get back
to us on the Friday [and] they did not. Even now, they promised to talk
to us this [Tuesday] afternoon or tomorrow [Wednesday]. We can only
trust that they will do that,” Yawa said.
On Tuesday morning Salga withdrew its court application to stop the
strike from continuing.
The industrial action has thus far been marred by reports of
intimidation and vandalism in some parts of Ekurhuleni.
(Edited by Deshnee Subramany)
It’s your fault! No, it’s yours! - Samwu, Salga spat continues
Rahima Essop (Eyewitness News) 13 April 2010
Municipal workers union Samwu and the South African Local Government
Association are still arguing over the legality of a strike, with no
negotiations being finalised to resolve the dispute.
In the meantime, rubbish is piling up in several cities across the
country and Eyewitness News has received numerous calls from people
complaining of streets being littered.
Benoni, Boksburg and Edenvale in Gauteng are just a few of the cities
drastically affected.
“This place is a disgrace. There’s traffic dodging in and out of rolling
bins and mountains of filth, plastic bags, garden cuttings and who knows
what,” an angry Edenvale resident said.
Samwu members across the country downed tools on Monday, calling on the
Salga to introduce a uniform job evaluation system. They also want the
use of external lawyers in disciplinary procedures to be banned.
Even though both Samwu and Salga maintain they remain open to finding a
solution to the impasse, both parties have been trading insults and
allegations.
Samwu’s Mthandeki Nhlapo has accused the employer body of provoking
municipal workers by spreading lies about the legality of the strike.
“We see Salga behaving very arrogantly and to the disappointment of
everyone because Salga is part of government,” Nhlapo said.
On the other hand, the association’s Mzwanele Yawa claimed it was the
union that was trying to manipulate the situation.
“They want the public to believe they are dealing with a Salga who is
insensitive and up to wasting taxp€ayer’s money,” Yawa hit back.
In the end, it is the public that is being inconvenienced as the strike
continues.
(Edited by Deshnee Subramany)
Municipal strike disrupts services
Mawande Jack jackm@avusa.co.za Herald
13 April 2010
Previous Image of Next
RED LITTER DAY ... Striking municipal workers protest in litter-strewn
Goven Mbeki Avenue, Port Elizabeth, yesterday. Picture: EUGENE COETZEE
A NATIONWIDE municipal strike disrupted services in Nelson Mandela Bay
yesterday after workers – including traffic officers, health, security
and disaster management staff – downed tools.
The SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) strike in the city was peaceful,
although incidents of intimidation were reported.
Most of the 3000 members employed by the Bay municipality joined the
strike, municipal spokesman Luncedo Njezula said.
Samwu hailed the first day of the strike a success in the city, saying
more than 2000 members took part. It was expecting more to join a march
to the Port Elizabeth City Hall today.
In East London, one person was injured and 10 more were arrested as a
march by striking Buffalo City municipal workers turned violent.
Police fired rubber bullets to disperse strikers who earlier overturned
rubbish bins in Oxford Street.
Similar scenes of chaos brought Grahamstown to a standstill when 465
workers also trashed the streets, leaving students, businessmen and even
beggars to sweep up the rubbish.
Although many of the marches in other centres were reported to have
ended without incident, some councils reported that non-striking workers
were intimidated and marchers tipped rubbish bins into streets.
While it is set to continue, the Labour Court in Johannesburg is set to
rule today on a bid by employer body the SA Local Government Association
(Salga) to declare the strike illegal.
Most municipal clinics in Nelson Mandela Bay townships – such as
KwaNobuhle, New Brighton and Motherwell – were closed, and the majority
of staff at traffic and licensing centres were absent from work.
Customer care centres, including the major ones in Uitenhage and Port
Elizabeth’s Govan Mbeki Avenue, were closed. The municipality asked
residents wanting to pay for water and electricity to instead use the
Post Office.
The regular Monday refuse removal was also severely affected and Njezula
confirmed the strike had “adversely affected the provision of services”.
“Although we are committed to providing those critical essential
services, I cannot say with certainty that everything was running normally.”
Two major administrative centres, Brister House and the Mfanasekaya
Gqobose (Eric Tindale) Building, were closed with no one allowed to
enter except senior officials.
Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) members were locked
inside for fear of intimidation.
Samwu offices next to Brister House’s main entrance were a hive of
activity, with striking workers being sold red Samwu T-shirts.
A part of Govan Mbeki Avenue in the vicinity of the two buildings was
closed to traffic entering the inner-city central business district,
while some shops shut briefly.
Heavily armed police kept a close watch as hundreds of Samwu members
staged a demonstration in front of Brister House, but no incidents of
violence or unruly behaviour were reported.
The city’s Munelek electricity department building, the disaster
management centre and the Uitenhage infrastructure and engineering call
centre were closed due to intimidation of staff, Njezula said.
In Humansdorp, Hankey and Jeffreys Bay, workers trashed areas in front
of the municipal offices with refuse and burnt tyres while barring
people wanting to work or access municipal services.
Kouga municipal spokesman Laura-Leigh Randall confirmed “minor incidents
of lawless behaviour by a small group of protesters” who had “dispersed
before lunchtime”.
She said no major disruption to services occurred and only a few workers
heeded Samwu’s call.
At Sundays River, Samwu members presented a list of demands to mayor
Siphokazi Matinise, giving her two days to respond. “We continued with
the provision of services unhindered” Matinise said.
Despite protests in George, Oudtshoorn, Plettenberg Bay and Mossel Bay,
most workers still reported for duty. Additional reporting by Daily
Dispatch, Sapa and Janine and Neil Oelofse
Benoni strikers meet after violent protesting
Imraan Karolia 13 April 2010
More than 100 regional Samwu members met at the Benoni municipal offices
on Tuesday.
Striking workers trashed some streets in the area earlier while rocks
littered the pavement leading to the entrance of the Benoni service
delivery centre.
The building’s glass walls were stoned on Monday in a stand-off between
Samwu members and the Red Ants.
Local police said there were numerous reports of damage to property and
said all officers were on standby in the event of further protests.
Samwu members across the court went on strike on Monday. They are
demanding that bosses introduce a uniform job grading system.
There have been disruptions at various government-run facilities due to
the strike.
(Edited by Deshnee Subramany)
Worker on duty assaulted by protesters
IOL 13 April 2010
A municipal worker who was not taking part in the SA Municipal Workers
Union (Samwu) strike was assaulted in Pretoria on Tuesday.
According to the worker, he was pulled from a moving municipal truck by
protesters who were angry that he was working instead of joining the
protest action.
A Tshwane Metro Police officer managed to arrange an ambulance for the
injured man, but the man was seen fleeing the scene despite the arrival
of the ambulance.
He sustained injuries to his head after he was hit by a sjambok.
Status of outsourced services will not change
UCT 13 April 2010
In a communiqué to the UCT community vice-chancellor Dr Max Price has
announced that all seven currently outsourced services should remain
outsourced.
Last year the UCT Council appointed a task team to review UCT's position
on the outsourced service providers that operate on campus. At the last
meeting of Council, held on 27 March 2010, it considered a report from
independent consultants appointed by the task team as well as a response
from management.
After much debate, the Council voted to maintain the outsourcing
arrangement. There are three main reasons for this decision. Firstly,
UCT's experience of more than a decade of the outsourcing model
indicates that it is working for the university in terms of efficiency,
quality of service, flexibility, value for money and in minimising risk.
Secondly, it allows the university leadership to focus on academic
leadership issues, reducing the amount of human resource management and
management of non-core services in which UCT has limited expertise.
Thirdly, the consultants confirmed that the circumstances of 10 to 15
years ago that led UCT to the decision to outsource the services have
not changed significantly over that period - thus there is no reason to
change its policy if the systems are working.
The independent consultants advised that the security services, catering
services, grounds services and campus cleaning services should all
remain outsourced. Management agreed with this proposal.
The consultants further proposed that the residence cleaning, the
shuttle service and a particular section of the garden services be
insourced. Management did not agree that there was a convincing case for
insourcing these three services, and recommended to Council that these
services remain outsourced.
Management's main arguments against the insourcing included the
following. In the case of residence cleaning, insourcing will lead to
inefficiencies, particularly because of the need for different types and
intensities of cleaning, which vary between term and vacation times. An
outsourced company can redeploy employees as needed, bringing in
specialist cleaning staff and equipment during vacation periods, and
utilising equipment and staff elsewhere when not needed at UCT. This
cannot be done as an insourced service. Moreover, the residence cleaning
service has operated well and there is no strong case, based on quality,
risk or management capacity, to change the current status.
The argument that cleaners in the residences form close relationships
with students was recognised, but there was no evidence to show that
such relationships do not form equally well when cleaners are
outsourced, provided there is stability in the workforce, which there
is, even when UCT changes outsourced companies.
In the case of the shuttle service, UCT believes that most examples of
best practice indicate it would be going against national and
international best practice trends to insource the Jammie Shuttle
service. An additional factor is the uncertainty about the rapid
transport system and its impact on the city and our transport system.
The risk to UCT of having to sell the buses and retrench workers if the
city transport system were to result in scaling back of the Jammie
Shuttle is eliminated by outsourcing.
Finally, the shuttle service has highly varied intensity during term and
vacation times, requiring different numbers of drivers, which are more
efficiently managed by an outsourced company. Management therefore
indicated to Council that its view is to retain the service as an
outsourced entity.
In the case of the garden maintenance service (which is very small) UCT
believes it should remain outsourced for the same reasons that the rest
of the gardening and grounds services are outsourced.
The key arguments for insourcing related to the conditions of service of
the employees, their job security and the quality of the relationship
between outsourced workers and other members of the UCT community.
Management is not convinced that these three matters constitute a solid
case for insourcing. In terms of the conditions of service UCT has done
much. The university has developed a code of conduct for all outsourced
companies. It has identified some shortcomings in the way it manages the
code of conduct. A task team is being assembled to look at the
experiences over the past two years in this regard and to develop
clearer guidelines. UCT will invite all interested stakeholders to
participate in these discussions.
The university also introduced the Supplemented Living Level (SLL),
which sets minimum wages to be paid to the workers. UCT believes that
the pay packages are fair. In terms of job security, it recognises that
the outsourced model presents insecurity for workers, but believes its
existing policy mitigates against this risk.
"Our policy determines that when we change outsource companies, the new
company must take on the workers of the old company," said Price. "The
quality of the relationships between workers and others at UCT is
important, and we were pleased to note in the worker surveys that the
majority of outsourced workers considered themselves members of the UCT
community. It is our intention to discuss ways we can involve the
outsourced workers even more deeply in UCT life, by including them in
certain events and campus communications, as an example."
Following the Council meeting, UCT has agreed to investigate the
possibility of extending staff tuition rates and career counselling
services to outsourced workers and their dependants. Workers indicated
that access to these benefits was the key reason for wanting to be
employed by UCT. They also raised the issue of medical aid and
retirement funds, which are variable across the different employers. UCT
has committed to raise these issues with the unions and the various
employers.
Mass march on Tshwane Municipality
ANTI-PRIVATISATION FORUM Press Statement 12 April 2010
Schubart Kruger Park Residents Committee
Olievenhoutbosch Backyard Residents Association
Residents of Schubart Kruger Park and Olievenhoutbosch to march on
Tshwane Municipal Offices over lack of service delivery, housing
allocations and unilateral decision-making
Date: Wednesday 14th April @ 10h00
Starting Point: Corner Proes and Schubart St.’s – Pretoria
On Wednesday morning (12th April) hundreds of residents from Schubart
Kruger Park flats (situated in downtown Pretoria) and backyard dwellers
from Olievenhoutbosch (situated in far-West Tshwane) will march on the
Tshwane Municipal offices. The key demands of the residents are as follows:
· Effective, efficient and accessible delivery from the municipality
around housing, water and electricity
· The restoration of all municipal services in Schubart Kruger Park
flats (which include security, water provision, cleaning and quick
responses to electricity outrages)
· A complete revisiting of the present housing allocation policy of the
municipality for backyard dwellers
· Meaningful participation by community organisations on decision-
making forums in the municipality and adequate notification and purpose
for such forums
· An immediate halt to the municipality’s ‘cost-recovery’ programmes and
limitation of services to the poor
For further comment/info contact Mashao Chauke on 082 212-6518 or Aubrey
on 073 721-3441
Free State premier to visit Thaba Nchu
13 April 2010
The Free State Executive Council led by Premier Ace Magashule will visit
Thaba Nchu as part of the Operation Hlasela campaign. They will visit a
school, dumping sites, sewer spillage sites, street kids' hot spots and
hand over a new house.
Magashule will reveal plans to improve the living conditions of the
people in the area during a mass meeting. Government has allocated
millions of rands to improve the living conditions of the people of
Thaba Nchu. Last month, communities of the area embarked on a service
delivery protest march that resulted in the N8 highway being barricaded
with stones.
The Free State is one of the provinces that has been affected by the
recent outbreak of the Rift Valley Fever (RVF). Of the 104 confirmed
cases countrywide, 78 cases emanated from the Free State with the
province recording four deaths. Reports indicated that direct contact
with RVF-infected livestock or farms linked to confirmed animal cases of
RVF, remained the main risk factor for the infection.
The human cases are farmers, veterinarians and farm workers, with
additional suspected cases being tested. Affected farms are primarily
clustered within the Free State and the Department of Agriculture in the
province has started the vaccination of animals, to contain the spread
of the virus.
Municipal workers march for more pay
Mail & Guardian 13 April 2010
Thousands of striking South African municipal workers took to the streets on Monday, demanding higher wages.
Ten people were arrested in East London at the start of the South African Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) nationwide strike over pay scales.
Although many of the marches around the country were reported to have ended without incident, some councils reported that non-striking workers were intimidated and marchers tipped rubbish bins into streets.
Police in East London fired rubber bullets when concrete bins were pushed into the traffic in Oxford Road, leading to the arrest of the 10, who will face public-violence charges.
In Ekurhuleni, officials also reported vandalism of municipal property, while Tshwane said it had experienced few disruptions.
Waste management workers and drivers started work late, but the city said it would hire outside contractors to catch up with the waste backlog if necessary.
Only 20 out of 230 buses did not run, with the council attributing this to breakdowns or sick leave.
However, in Johannesburg bus commuters were left stranded as Metrobus was not operating.
Memoranda of demands were handed over in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Samwu opted for industrial action to push for a range of demands, mostly related to getting market-related salaries for municipal workers. This includes setting the pay rate for municipal managers and councillors it said were being paid above market rate.
Addressing corruption
Samwu also wants to stop municipalities from using expensive outside lawyers to resolve labour disputes.
It believes these measures would go some way to addressing corruption in municipalities, which was sparking protests against the lack of service delivery.
It said it had been trying to finalise the matter for seven years.
The South African Local Government Association (Salga) intends applying for an interdict to stop the strike on Tuesday.
It said that if it increased salaries as required, it would exceed the amount allocated to it by Treasury to pay staff, and it would not have enough money to pay for the services supplied by municipalities.
Samwu national spokesperson Tahir Sema said the Johannesburg march "went very well".
"There was no trashing," he said.
All essential services workers, except some metro policemen who had been given special permission, were at their posts on Monday, in compliance with the law.
Accepting the memorandum handed over in Cape Town, the city's mayor, Dan Plato, said he would attend a Salga meeting set down for Thursday in Kimberley to discuss the issues raised.
Further marches are planned around the country this week in what Sema described as an "indefinite" strike. -- Sapa, Reuters
www.mg.co.za
Orkney joins Grootvlei to ground Aurora 13 April 2010
Mineworkers at Aurora Orkney operations outside Klerksdorp have not been paid and have also downed tools to demand their March wages. The workers have, like the ones at Grootvlei vowed to return back to work only once they have received their wages. “Our workers downed tools a while ago in protest for their wages. It is almost two weeks that we have not been working here” says Maja Mphahlele, the NUM‘s Regional Coordinator in Matlosana. Meanwhile, the workers at Grootvlei are waiting with bated breath for their outstanding payments as agreed in another meeting yesterday. Aurora empowerment Systems has in yesterday‘s meeting committed itself to pay workers who have not been paid and those that have been paid less. However, given Aurora ‘s record of not doing as it says, it remains to be seen whether indeed Grootvlei workers will be paid by close of business today. “Our workers here at Grootvlei want their monies so that they can go home” says Frasy Namanyana, the NUM ‘s Chairperson at Aurora Grootvlei. “We have seen promises and promises, but delivery is not taking place” says Namanyana.
A meeting has been scheduled between Aurora and the NUM ‘s Regional leadership representing Orkney workers in Matlosana this afternoon.
Lesiba Seshoka
Head: Media & Communications
National Union of Mineworkers
Tel: (011) 377 2047
Mobile: 082 803 6719
LesibaS@num.org.za
Lack of maintenance causes protects: Manuel
Business Report 16 April 2010
Most service delivery protests arose from municipalities' failure to do
elementary maintenance, Minister in the Presidency Trevor Manuel said on
Friday.
"It is necessary to remind ourselves that beyond the temptations of the
great and the grand new projects lies the responsibility to ensure that
proper and regular maintenance is undertaken," Manuel said in a speech
prepared for delivery.
He was giving a graduation address at the faculty of engineering at the
Cape Peninsula University of Technology, of which he is chancellor.
Manuel said: "It doesn't matter whether your assignment covers
rail-track, power stations, transmission lines, water schemes,
petrochemical refineries, roads, elementary storm water schemes or, as
the inhabitants of Louisiana will attest, the scheme of levees designed
to keep water out of the city.
"The failure to maintain any part of this rapidly wipes out the initial
infrastructure investment."
Other professionals might be able to mask the lack of maintenance, but
engineers could never do this, Manuel said.
"Maintenance tasks are far less grand than new big projects, but
certainly no less important."
He said while the "era of high finance" had passed, the present was now
"the era of engineering", which was what society needed to transform.
"The challenges are all enormously important engineering challenges
and... there are few that can be claimed as exclusive to one or the
other engineering discipline."
Manuel said the arrival of "the era of engineering" came laden with the
demand for change in how engineers behaved.
"It is important that engineers everywhere approach the new era with
humility.
"Much as the possibilities that present themselves make us drool for
action, we must remember that many of the problems of the past,
including the now unfashionable carbon-belching machines are the product
of engineers from a different era," Manuel said. - Sapa
(Did Manuel perchance mention that in the 1990s, including during his
reign as finance minister, the state's central-local
operating/maintenance budget subsidy was cut by 85% in real terms?)
Service delivery woes
Barely halfway through 2010 South Africans are up in arms across
townships in the country. Residents appear to be getting more frustrated
and angry. The protests appear to be getting more violent and more chaotic.
According to Cooperative Governance Minister Sicelo Shiceka Gauteng has
been the province hardest hit by service delivery protests, with
highways such as the Golden Highway and the N12 closed off during protests.
South Africans have accused the African National Congress of making
empty promises and failing them. They have also accused government of
not making basic services available for them.
LEADERS POINT FINGERS
Leaders and organisations which should be helping the impoverished
people have in many instances been pointing fingers at each other. For
instance, the mayor of the Midvaal DA-led municipality accused ANC and
Sanco leaders in Meyerton of trying to score political points by turning
residents against the council.
Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane pointed out that there was a link
between violent protests by people on the ground and war talk from the
country’s leaders.
Mpumalanga secretary of civic organisation Sanco Raymond Makamo accused
ANC Treasurer General Matthews Phosa of funding service delivery
protests in the Siyathemba township in Mpumalanga.
GOVERNMENT WORKS TO DIFFUSE SERVICE DELIVERY TENSIONS
A parliamentary ad-hoc committee on service delivery is also
investigating reasons behind the spate of service delivery protests,
while Cooperative Governance Minister Sicelo Shiceka has said
turn-around strategy rapid response teams will be deployed to deal with
community grievances.
President Jacob Zuma’s office has also announced a series of service
delivery monitoring visits.
SOME TOWNSHIPS HIT BY VIOLENT SERVICE DELIVERY IN 2010
Gauteng
Itireleng informal settlement
Rabie Ridge
Ennerdale
Dobsonville
Daveyton
Finetown
Atteridgeville
Mamelodi
Meyerton
Orange farm
Sebokeng
Sharpeville
Elias Motsoaledi
KwaThema
Olievenhoutbosch
Bronkhorstspruit
Thembelihle informal settlement
Boipatong
Evaton
Other provinces
Siyathemba Township in Mpumalanga
Phola Township in Mpumalanga
Brits in North West
Malawi informal settlement in the Western Cape
Lebohang informal settlement in Mpumalanga
www.eyewitnessnews. co.za
Protests peak in 2010
Sapa 15 April 2010
JOHANNESBURG - The number of service delivery protests peaked in the
first quarter of 2010, with some 54 protests counted countrywide by
research company Municipal IQ.
This number, counted in the first four months of this year, was very
high considering that a total of 105 protests occurred over 12 months
last year, said Municipal IQ managing director Kevin Allan.
“It is significant that the first quarter of 2010 has experienced more
than half as many protests as 2009,” Allan said in a statement on Thursday.
“In fact, March’s protests equal last year’s previously unprecedented
July peak,” he added, with the research showing that about 25 protests
were counted in these two months.
Since Municipal IQ started compiling the report in 2004, the calmest
year was 2006, when only two service delivery protests were recorded.
Last year the most protests (105) were recorded, but this year could be
the worst considering that the first quarter already saw 54 protests.
In 2008, 27 protests were counted, in 2007 it was 32, in 2005, a total
of three happened and in 2004 there were 10 protests.
Municipal IQ economist Karen Heese said Gauteng was the most affected
province, with 41 percent of protests recorded in the first quarter of 2010.
This was followed by Mpumalanga (13 percent), North West and Eastern
Cape (both 11 percent), Limpopo (seven percent), the Free State (five
percent) and Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Cape (all four
percent).
Municipal IQ counts “sustained protests” that happen over a few days in
one place as only one protest. It includes peaceful and violent protests
directed at municipalities accused of providing poor services.
-Sapa
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