Latest news with #SouthAfricanMunicipalWorkersUnion
IOL News
5 days ago
- Health
- IOL News
Gauteng MEC calls on municipal workers to fight corruption and improve service delivery
Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, has urged civil servants belonging to the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) to help defend the gains of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR). Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Media Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, has urged civil servants belonging to the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) to help defend the gains of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR). He said the NDR was gained through hard work between the ANC and its alliance partners, which was won under difficult circumstances to bring an end to apartheid over three decades ago. She also urged workers to remain firm against corruption and maladministration, which has rocked most of the country's municipalities in recent times. Just this week, Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke highlighted this alarming reality of irregular expenditure within the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), which revealed that the municipality was leading the nation in this regard, with contracts exceeding R1 billion awarded to contractors with connections to officials. Nkomo-Ralehoko was speaking during her address to the Gauteng delegates who will be electing new leaders to represent the union in the province. The congress, which kicked off on Wednesday and wraps up on Friday under the theme: 'Towards 40 years of defending and advancing the interests of municipal workers' at the Birchwood Hotel, will announce its new provincial structures amid a series of challenges facing revenue collection and maladministration. "Our enemy is not the workers but corruption and maladministration, theft, and unethical leadership. We are not going to function as the government if you are not assisting us. That is the personal responsibility we must take so that we can deliver services to our people. The collapse of service delivery in municipalities must be a thing of the past, comrades," she stated. On the issues, municipal workers have with the City of Joburg Mayor, Dada Morero, Nkomo-Ralehoko, promised to help mediate some of the challenges between the two parties. The issues stem from SAMWU having accused Morero of protecting corruption-accused Helen Botes, the acting chief operating officer of the city, who served as the CEO of Johannesburg Property Company for over 15 years and was not charged for any of the allegations lodged against her. "I am going to meet Dada Morero and try to initiate a meeting between us and him. It can't be that the ANC doesn't intervene in Johannesburg. It used to be the same in Ekurhuleni, and we addressed the issues there, and we will do the same here," she said. As workers who remain at the interface and forefront of service delivery in communities, cities, and local government level, the MEC urged municipal workers to continue to be the pillars of society. "You, as municipal workers, are at the forefront of service delivery. You are the pillars that have kept the fires burning during apartheid. The same unity and commitment you have shown during that time should continue even today. We cannot then have members who do not understand the alliance and the relationship between the ANC and Cosatu," she added. [email protected]
The Citizen
02-07-2025
- The Citizen
KwaDukuza municipal workers end strike, set to return to work
After three days of protest action, KwaDukuza municipal workers affiliated with the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) will return to work tomorrow. This was confirmed by SAMWU KwaDukuza secretary, Nkululeko Dladla, who said the decision followed engagement between the union and municipal leadership. While not all grievances have been resolved, Dladla said the union welcomed the willingness of Municipal Manager Nhlanhla Mdakane to address workers directly and commit to further meetings. 'The municipal manager came to speak to us, and even though some of the responses were not satisfactory, we now have a channel to discuss unresolved issues. There is no reason to continue with the strike under these circumstances,' said Dladla. Workers marched from the Ballito Taxi Rank to the Nokukhanya Building, opposite the Ballito clinic on Monday and Tuesday. The demonstration follows growing frustration over what workers said was the municipality's failure to respond to demands first raised during a strike in KwaDukuza's CBD in May. The protest caused severe traffic congestion, and Ballito Drive was left littered with debris as demonstrators hurled rubbish into the streets on both days. Earlier today, Mdakane issued an internal memorandum to all staff, condemning the continued strike and what he described as violations of the agreed picketing rules. According to the memo, the strike went beyond the legal parameters set by the Bargaining Council, and management has reserved the right to pursue disciplinary action where necessary. In the memo, Mdakane responded to several concerns raised by the union. He said that the Local Labour Forum did meet on June 25 with full management attendance and that issues on the agenda, including job evaluation and the implementation of a six-day work week, were discussed. He noted that job evaluation processes are progressing, with most job descriptions already submitted and some still being refined. On the contentious issue of municipal grading, Mdakane dismissed claims that a resolution exists to upgrade the municipality to grade 5. He said no such resolution has been adopted and emphasised that grading falls under the authority of the South African Local Government Bargaining Council. He added that attempts to negotiate grading at the municipal level were irregular and that the issue was already on the national bargaining agenda. Regarding the union's demand for accountability in the R35.7 million fraud scandal, Mdakane confirmed that investigations are ongoing and that most of the money has been recovered. Civil and criminal proceedings are still underway to trace the remainder and three separate investigations are being conducted by the municipality, the police's Special Commercial Crimes Unit, and the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. Responding to calls for his suspension, Mdakane said due process must be followed. 'Samwu should respect the laws and regulations they expect to be applied to all workers. No individual can be suspended without following legal procedures,' said Mdakane. On the matter of the five and six-day work structure, Mdakane said that Samwu had not submitted a counterproposal despite the issue being on the agenda for the past two years. He noted that while Samwu had indicated that the matter should be handled at the bargaining council level, they still included it among the reasons for the strike. Mdakane reiterated the municipality's stance of 'no work, no pay' and said any employees who do not return to work risk disciplinary action. 'We are calling on Samwu leadership to guide their members honestly and responsibly. 'The municipality remains open to lawful and constructive engagement. We will continue to implement fair decisions following the law,' said Mdakane. Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news. Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you're on desktop, scan the QR code below. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
28-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Municipal union wins case forcing !Kheis municipality to cough up salaries
The High Court in Kimberly has mandated the !Kheis municipality to pay overdue salaries following a legal challenge by the South African Municipal Workers Union Image: Independent Newspapers The municipality of !Kheis in the Northern Cape has been forced by the High Court in Kimberly to pay salaries after the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) took it, that province's Premier, and the National Department of Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs to court. The ruling, handed down recently, ordered the municipality to 'immediately make payment of the salaries of the members of the applicant for the months of February 2025 and March 2025 and to continue making payment of the salaries of the members of the applicant as it falls due'. In the decision, the Judge stated that 'this unfortunate saga' involved a 'municipality that is, like so many others in our country, in financial distress'. !Kheis, a Khoikhoi name meaning 'a place where you live', is in Groblershoop in the Northern Cape Province and is home to just under 22 000 people as of the 2022 census. That province, the smallest province by population size with just 2.2% of all people in South Africa living there, has been under the Auditor-General's (A-G's) whip. The court bid, which was opposed by the MEC in the Northern Cape, stated that, in SAMWU's notice of filing it alleged that 'the Municipality was in serious and persistent material breach of its obligations to provide basic services and to meet its financial commitments as a result of a crisis in its financial affairs'. It also said that !Kheis was suffering a 'a crisis in its financial affairs'. SAMWU also wanted the Municipality placed under the government equivalent of business rescue, requesting that the Department 'implement a recovery plan aimed at securing the ability of the Municipality to meet its obligations to provide basic services'. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The A-G's the latest audit report on the Northern Cape with regards to the Public Finance Management Act found that there had been an improvement in audit outcomes, although it had made 'No progress' towards 'improving [the] reliability and usefulness of [its] annual performance report'. There was also 'no improvement in the quality of performance reports submitted for audit,' while there were also 'increased levels of unauthorised, irregular as well as fruitless and wasteful expenditure'. The report does not specifically mention the !Kheis municipality. Following the publication of the A-G's report, the Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul, welcomed the outcomes, stating that the 'audit results show a significant improvement in the province's audit opinions for various Government Departments and entities for the audit cycle'. He noted that the eight clean audits were 'the highest number recorded so far'. !Kheis was, in 2023, named and shamed by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana for failing to pay salaries for months. Last year, the A-G's office indicated that, based on its latest audit outcomes as of March, the Municipality had received disclaimed audits for the past five years – a concerning position. IOL
The Citizen
09-05-2025
- General
- The Citizen
KwaDukuza waste collection resumes, lifeguards return after strike
Striking KwaDukuza municipality staff returned to work this morning after downing tools from Monday to Thursday. During the strike, waste went uncollected and beachgoers were left without lifeguard protection (until Wednesday), despite municipal assurances that critical services would not be impacted. The strike was led by the South African Municipal Workers Union to demand improved salary conditions and only ended after workers were addressed by Deputy-Minister for Employment and Labour, Jomo Sibiya, in a meeting on Thursday. More details on the resolution are expected next week. The strike led to a backlog on some services and waste collection teams will work through the weekend to try and catch up. On Saturday, teams will focus on clearing refuse in Shakaville and Groutville, including Cranbrook, Mphinyane, and Mnyundwini. Other areas scheduled for service include Gledhow Village, Ntshawini, D-Section, Lindelani, Zamani, Soweto, Mdlebeni, Nyathikazi, KwaTwele, Nonoti, Mbonisweni, Hangoes, Malende, Jobs Farm, Charlottedale and KwaMyeza. On Sunday, clean-up efforts will continue in Newtown, Rocky Park, Blythedale Beach, Windy Heights, and Glenhills. Teams will also cover Zinkwazi and Darnall, including the Hesto Plant area, and parts of Ntshawini, such as Nhlakanipho Ngema Street, Joyous Guesthouse Road, Gidela, and KwaMadundube. The municipality has asked residents to store waste safely until collection and to avoid illegal dumping, which causes delays and poses health risks. Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news. Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you're on desktop, scan the QR code below. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
