AfriForum demands police act to stop illegal strikers in Tshwane

08 September 2023 - 17:19
By Ernest Mabuza
The provision of services such as refuse removal in Tshwane has been severely affected for more than a month after some employees embarked on a strike. File photo.
Image: Rorisang Kgosana The provision of services such as refuse removal in Tshwane has been severely affected for more than a month after some employees embarked on a strike. File photo.

AfriForum has asked police minister Bheki Cele and police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola to provide proper security for refuse removal workers in the City of Tshwane. 

The provision of services in the municipality has been severely affected for more than a month after some employees embarked on a strike to force the city to honour the last year of the three-year wage agreement for 2023/2024.  

The city did not table any increase for employees in its budget passed in April. 

AfriForum strategic adviser Johan Kruger said police are failing in the obligations to maintain safety. In terms of an interdict obtained by the city, police must ensure safety is maintained during the illegal strike.

Kruger said the police were not keeping the illegal strikers in check. “Strikers set refuse removal trucks and dumpsites on fire, creating unsafe conditions for refuse removal workers and at landfill sites,” he said.

In a letter sent by lawyers representing AfriForum to the minister and Masemola on Friday, AfriForum demanded police ensure striking workers adhere to court rulings preventing them from participating in the unlawful strike and causing harm to private and public property. 

“Our client demands the swift arrest and subsequent investigation of individuals involved in acts of violence, intimidation or destruction of property,” the letter reads. 

AfriForum said police should mobilise and allocate additional manpower immediately. “This is essential to ensure sufficient resources are committed to address the scale and complexity of the unrest and to maintain public order and safety for all residents.” 

It also demanded police swiftly implement a safety plan to ensure potential hotspots for violence, such as waste disposal sites, are adequately staffed and secured. 

AfriForum asked the police to confirm in writing by Friday next week its commitment to undertake the action demanded. “Failure to comply with these demands may result in our client taking further legal action,” it said.

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