Trucks, office destroyed by arson as ADM workers strike
Assets go up in flames as striking union denies any of its workers involved
A satellite office, truck, bakkie and infrastructure belonging to the Amathole district municipality (ADM) were torched on Wednesday night.
Videos and images of government assets going up in flames were circulated widely on WhatsApp on Thursday.
The arson came on the back of Monday’s strike led by the SA
Municipal Workers Union (Samwu), but the union denies any workers were involved.
ADM on Wednesday successfully obtained an interim order from the Port Elizabeth labour court to interdict the strike.
That was only hours before flames engulfed the assets.
Asked if the strike continued despite the court interdict, municipal spokesperson Nonceba Madikizela-Vuso said: It would appear that the strike has indeed continued at certain offices of ADM.
The SA Police Service has been given a copy of the court order interdicting staff from their unlawful strike for enforcement.
She said the municipality could not confirm or deny at this stage that ADM employees were involved.
A police investigation would determine who is responsible.
She said the cost of the damage had not yet been determined but it will certainly affect service delivery ”.
We will be writing to Samwu “to get involved in curtailing this unlawful conduct, and hopefully sit around the table with the union leaders to find an amicable [resolution] to the issues in dispute.”
Judge Zolashe Lallie’s interim interdict calls on the union to show cause on December 10 as to why an order should not be granted in these terms:
● Interdicting and restraining further respondents [workers] from participating in the strike which commenced on November 9, or any conduct in contemplation or furtherance of that strike, which does not comply with the provisions of the LRA [Labour Relations Act]”; and
● Interdicting and restraining the further respondents from intimidating, assaulting or in anyway unlawfully interfering with any employee of the applicant ... or interfering with or obstructing the normal operation of [the ADM’s] operation/ delivery at the premises.
The union said in a statement: Samwu distances itself and ADM employees from the incident that occurred in ADM’s Peddie satellite offices. Our members have always displayed a genuine discipline and high regard for law. It is only the employer who goes to any length to get what he wants. These are actions of someone “who wants to distract the relevant authorities from the workers valid demands.
We trust that SAPS will get to the bottom of the matter ... The workers revolution will not be derailed.
The union was also scathing of ADM leadership. Samwu wants to remind “everyone that we are not safe and this will not be the last time the employer does things illegally so long as he [Thandekile Mnyimba] remains the municipal manager of ADM.”