Johannesburg – City of Joburg employees at Group Finance have been evicted from their offices at the Old Mutual Building in a move insiders say was looming over outstanding rentals.
Staffers at the offices, situated at 75 Helen Joseph Street, were on Wednesday ordered to vacate the floors the City of Joburg rents at the Old Mutual Building.
Although The Bulrushes was unable to get any comment from the City of Joburg late Wednesday, Karabo Ramahuma, the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) Regional Chairman, said the staffers were evicted on Wednesday while they were working.
Ramahuma said the evicted staffers occupy “three or four floors” at the Old Mutual Building.
“They have been evicted… they were told today, while they were working, to vacate the building by the owners because the City did not pay rent,” Ramahuma told The Bulrushes.
Rumours of the possibility of being evicted have been doing the rounds among the staffers.
Ramahuma said the evicted staffers “are a key component of service delivery because they deal with revenue collection”.
He warned that their eviction could have an adverse impact on service delivery and the collection of rates and taxes, “while on the other hand, the city has made commitments to up its collection of rates and taxes”.
Ramahuma said some of the evicted staffers have been asked to work from home provided they have WiFi.
“Others will be asked to squat somewhere that the City has office space.”
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