Two refuse trucks torched in Tshwane amid ongoing labour dispute
Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink has blamed striking municipal workers for the torching of two waste collection trucks.
The two trucks, which belonged to contractors, were set alight by unknown suspects.
The incident has led to some service providers withdrawing their services out of concern for their workers’ safety.
The city has been using private contractors to collect refuse due to the stay-away by workers affiliated with the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu).
The workers downed tools last month over non-payment of salary increases, a strike which the Labour Court has since interdicted.
The bone of contention is the non-payment of agreed-upon wage hikes, which the city claims it cannot afford.
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.
Last week Brink joined private contract workers in Mamelodi to help collect refuse.
"This affects the city’s ability to fully implement our waste collection catch-up plan. It has become clear that the City is no longer facing a labour dispute. It’s now facing a criminal assault of a massive scale,” Brink said on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Brink is expected to give an update on the strike action and its negative impact on service delivery in the city.
To date, 122 employees have been dismissed.
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