Mayor Brink helps pick up Mamelodi waste amid Samwu strike
Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink joined the city's waste collection drive as the workers' strike continues.
Brink joined private contract workers in Mamelodi on Wednesday.
Workers affiliated to the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) downed tools last month over non-payment of salary increases.
The city says it is unable to honor the agreement due to lack of finances.
The strike has led to a significant interruption in the delivery of services in the city including electricity outage repairs, water restoration and refuse removal.
The city has thus far collected rubbish in Centurion, Laudium, Atteridgeville, Pretoria CBD, Erasmusrand, Monumentpark, Waterkloof, Brooklyn, Atteridgeville, Mamelodi, Nellmapius, Eersterust, Pretoria West and Rietondale.
"I am in Mamelodi today assisting contracted workers to lift waste, we are affected by this unprotected strike, the violence and intimidation of the contractors, we are here to show support and to show communities that we doing everything possible to catch up with the backlog of service in spite of the strike.
"To manage the situation, the city has now implemented a catch-up plan that completely deviates from the usual schedule and is focused on targeted collection in select areas mostly outside normal working hours.
"This revised collection model started on Monday, and gave us the ability to saturate said areas with a security presence comprising the Tshwane Metro Police Department and private security firms with static and mobile security."
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