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Samwu Accuses Tshwane Metro of Dishonesty After Shooting Incident

Published

9 months ago

August 16, 2023

Samwu has accused the Tshwane metro of dishonesty following a recent shooting involving one of its staffers. The incident occurred on August 12, when the metro’s water and sanitation department employee was allegedly shot and hijacked by striking colleagues while on his way home.

The Tshwane metro initially claimed that the employee and his team were attacked in Montana after threats from unknown suspects failed to deter them from working during the ongoing strike. The strike, led by Samwu-affiliated employees, seeks to implement a 3.5% and 5.4% salary increase for 2021 and 2023.

Samwu Gauteng secretary Mpho Tladinyane strongly refuted the allegations that the employee was attacked by union members, demanding that the Tshwane metro takes responsibility for failing to ensure the safety of its staff. Tladinyane emphasised that the victims were members of the union.

Also read: Tshwane Bus Services Still Suspended Amid Ongoing Metro Worker Strike

Tladinyane pointed out that the incident was not isolated, highlighting the ongoing dangers that municipal workers face while on duty. He criticised the Tshwane metro for not providing a safe and healthy working environment under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Tladinyane urged Tshwane to stop making baseless accusations and demanded a safe working environment for employees.

During a visit to the injured employee in the hospital on August 14, Mayor Cilliers Brink suggested a link between the shooting incident and the ongoing strike action in the metro. He called for Samwu’s leadership to take responsibility and prevent the strike from escalating further.

The South African local government bargaining council (SALGBC) will determine the strike’s future on August 23, 2023. The Tshwane metro has applied for exemption from complying with the council’s order to increase wages within 10 days, citing its financial position as the primary reason for the inability to budget for wage increases in the 2023/24 financial year.

Source: VIDEO: Metro accused of dishonesty for claiming union involved in shooting, hijacking colleague

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