The total degradation and collapse of Matjhabeng is being urgently addressed on national level.
On Tuesday, 5 March, high-ranking officials from the Matjhabeng municipality and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) met to address the disaster that Matjhabeng has evolved into.
Minister Thembi Nkadimeng and Deputy Minister Parks Tau met with the leadership of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) and Cosatu to discuss the crises facing the workers and the community.
The next day, during a meeting, it was resolved that the four urgent issues raised by Samwu in their memorandum will be urgently attended to. These include the Covid-19 allowance, the 27% shift back-pay, and the outstanding payment to 95 contractors per the court order.
They also resolved that all outstanding salaries must be paid before Friday, 8 March.
Samwu has been encouraged to suspend the strike pending the redress of the matters on the table. The union will consult with its members on Thursday to get the mandate as to whether to suspend or continue with the strike.
The meeting also resolved that the issues regarding the removal of the mayor, Thanduxolo Khalipha, will be discussed with the ruling party.
The workers are adamant that they stand united and will withhold their vote on 29 May unless Khalipha is removed as mayor.
This is not negotiable, says Samwu members who have declared at numerous ongoing public meetings and marches that Khalipha must go.
Over the weekend all chaos again broke out in the different units, with Ventersburg’s municipal offices being vandalised by a rowdy group. The main water supply to Meloding was sabotaged, resulting in the road under the railway bridge being flooded.
Joyous Meloding community members, who have not had water for ten days, then took to swimming in the deep pool that formed there. The streets of Virginia, and other municipal units, have been continuously strewn with litter since the municipal strike started six weeks ago, and since 29 January there has been no service delivery whatsoever in Matjhabeng.
The Welkom Business Forum and concerned communities all over Matjhabeng have taken it upon themselves to mow the islands and pavements, and to clean their own environment of litter.
