Pretoria – The devastating City of Tshwane “strike” is over.
“Tshwane is delighted to announce that all municipal services are operational and that the crippling unlawful and unprotected strike which lasted for a little over three months, is finally over,” the City of Tshwane said Friday.
“All the employees are back at work executing their duties. Basic service delivery has returned to normal, and most backlogs have been cleared.
“Services such as waste collection, electricity, and water outages, including fixing leaks, which were severely impacted by the strike action, have gradually returned to normality.”
The City said Tshwane Bus Services (TBS), whose operations ground to a halt during the strike, due to intimidation directed towards the non-striking bus drivers, are back to full capacity.
The Customer Care walk-in-centres and clinics have also resumed full services and are functioning optimally.
The City Manager Johann Mettler has expressed relief about the end of the strike: “We’re relieved that the strike which was marred by violence, intimidation, and destruction of municipal property is finally over and services have resumed in earnest”.
“We had put in place a catch-up plan which was executed with distinction. The city is gradually rediscovering its mojo and is living its motto of ‘Igniting Excellence’. We are building a city that works for all its people”, Mettler said.
The City said it was engaged in discussions with unions Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union and the South African Municipal Workers Union to resolve the impasse over the salary increase dispute.
A statement attributed to Selby Bokaba, the City’s acting group head of communication, marketing, and events, said the discussions, facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration, were progressing well.
“The city wishes to apologise to its residents and customers for the inconvenience caused during the unprecedented and violent strike,” said the statement.
