Durban – An eThekwini Municipality contract worker has been stabbed and another run over during a protest outside the Durban Natural Science Museum.
A group of contract workers was protesting against “pay cuts” on Monday, 1 September 2025, when a municipality vehicle crashed into the crowd, leaving a worker with broken legs.
In the ensuing chaos, another worker was stabbed.
Both workers were evacuated and taken to a nearby health facility.
Matters came to a head after workers noticed that their wages had been reduced in the renewed contract, without any explanation.
Workers told The Bulrushes that until their contracts expired earlier this year in March, they were earning R8 400 per month.
However, to their shock and chagrin, their renewed contracts state that they will only earn R4 800 per month – a reduction of R4 000, which workers said was unfathomable.
The workers further complained that they were not given any formal notice of the unilateral pay cuts.
Worker Sandile Hlophe, who has been at the forefront in opposing the salary cuts, has explained that affected workers fall under the DSW Contractors, which include: Gezinsila Cleaning Services, Khabzo Projects, Sbonisiwe Uhlanga Trading Enterprises, Titus, TZBN, Wasteng, Mashalofu, Gabhisa, and Njabs Investments.
“Right now, we are not getting the same salaries as before,” said Hlophe.
“This issue is not happening here, only at Kwa, Mashu, but in the whole of Durban, in places such as Harmasdale, Chesterville, and Lamontville.
“We were told by the employers about the salary cut, not by the municipality, and then we took action to approach the Mayor, Cllr Cyril Xaba, then he denied saying that he is not aware of the salary cut which was imposed on workers.”
Another worker who requested anonymity said: “As you can see, we have two different slips which are not the same; the payslips have different amounts.
“In the previous month, we had not been paid for four days that we had worked, but when the slip arrived, it showed us the amount of four days which was not paid; there was no new amount for the new month.”
Thobile Zulu, who has been employed for the past twenty-eight years, revealed that there were no benefits for workers, such as medical aid and a pension.
However, the workers insist they want to continue working, but they say they can not “operate under these conditions”.
The workers handed over a memorandum of their grievances to an eThekwini Municipality official at the Durban Natural Science Museum.
In the memorandum, workers warned that any further delay in addressing their grievances would leave them with no option but to escalate the matter to, among others, the South African Local Government Bargaining Council and the Speaker’s office.
Two councillors, Sizwe Mdlalose from Ward 104, and Mazibuko Sihle from Ward 46, spoke to protesting workers and persuaded them to disperse.
