Fire in the streets in Sterkstroom
Police increase presence as protest escalates
STERKSTROOM came to a standstill this week as Inkwanca municipal workers closed roads, shops and municipal offices, demanding they be paid nine months of outstanding wages.
The protest started on Monday when workers used burning tyres and refuse to close the town’s streets. They demanded to meet with a representative from the department of local government and traditional affairs to resolve the matter.
The protest escalated on Tuesday and Wednesday as roads at entrances to the town were closed.
In a telephonic interview with The Rep, worker Luyan- da Macokeni said they had been patient in waiting for their salaries but after nine months, they had decided to stage a public protest. The workers are demanding political intervention. “No one wants to be responsible for what they have done and until they come with a concrete solution we will continue with the protest,” he said, saying if the matter was not resolved “things will be bad.”
“We have been looking for advice from people within the National Council of Provinces (NCP) and the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ANC and we will soon hear from them.”
Inkwanca municipal spokesman Anga Nxusana said the protest was the work of people “who call themselves members of the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) but who are not Samwu.“After the municipal council was dissolved, some workers did not come to work and they therefore did not get paid. They are the ones who are striking because they want to be paid for work they did not do. The municipality met them and they were told to report to Molteno,” he said. Police spokesman warrant officer Namhla Mdleleni said the public order policing unit was called in on Wednesday evening. Rubber bullets were fired to disperse the crowds. A case of malicious injury to property was opened after damage to a municipal office. Police were looking at possibly opening a case of public violence today.