Tshwane electrician attacked on the job

A City of Tshwane electrician is in the intensive care unit after being severely beaten by community members while attending to a power outage in Soshanguve.

Several areas in Tshwane are plagued by electricity outages, which the city has blamed on an ongoing wildcat strike by the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) members.

The city has accused workers who downed tools of sabotage and engaging in an illegal strike action.

City spokesperson Selby Bokaba said the attack happened after a team was sent out to Block DD to attend to electricity problems on Saturday.

“It turned out a cable was stolen, causing the outage. When the team arrived, one of them – who is the oldest – was grabbed by members of the community and attacked.

“His condition is stable now, but he remains in ICU. This is the kind of criminal behaviour that will lead to employees refusing to work in communities for fear of being attacked.”

Bokaba said another team had been attacked and robbed in Nellmapius last month.

“We will soon get to a point where colleagues refuse to go out into communities without police escort, and that will delay services to residents...” According to the Tshwane mayor, Randall Williams, a small group of striking workers sought to “drive narrow political interests and cause chaos in the city.”

“When this illegal strike began, the city immediately mobilised multiple resources and departments to ensure we respond, because the majority of workers wanted to come to work and do their jobs.

“Unfortunately, Samwu’s actions taint us all. When a small group of employees threaten, intimidate and prevent colleagues from conducting their duties, it is not a labour matter, it is political.”

The union last Friday said the staffers on strike were “capacity workers” who had been demanding their contracts be changed to permanent employment.

According to Samwu, the bargaining council instructed that the 89 employees be reinstated as part of the permanent staff.

It denied it called a strike in the city or that its members were intimidating other workers.

Colleagues will refuse to go out into communities