Johannesburg – The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) has welcomed the removal from the court roll of the urgent application brought by the Democratic Alliance (DA), which sought to halt wage hikes secured through a Politically Facilitated Agreement (PFA).
The DA on Thursday, 26 March 2026, asked the Gauteng High Court to urgently interdict the City of Johannesburg from implementing a R10 billion PFA with SAMWU to hike wages for municipal workers.
The PFA originated in 2016 and was recently included in the city’s adjustment budget.
The DA, through its Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille, argued in court papers that the PFA, aimed at redressing decades-old salary disparities, was unlawful.
The DA further argued that the agreement was politically motivated to secure union support ahead of imminent Local Government elections, and risks fiscal collapse of the struggling city.
Hundreds of SAMWU members protested outside the court, accusing the DA of hostility toward workers.
However, Judge Marcus Senyatsi struck the application off the roll for lack of urgency and ordered the DA to pay costs.
Reacting to the ruling on Friday, 27 March 2026, SAMWU said it extends its “appreciation to the thousands of workers who gathered in their numbers for the night vigil on the eve of the hearing, as well as the thousands more who filled the streets of Johannesburg on the day of the proceedings”.
The union added: “This level of mobilisation reflects a decisive shift in the posture of workers, who have made it clear that they will no longer tolerate delays in the implementation of agreements that directly affect their livelihoods.
“Workers have spoken with one voice: the time for waiting is over.
“What we have witnessed in Johannesburg is the living expression of the mandate of the 13th National Congress of SAMWU.”
The union said “this outcome” also exposes, in the clearest possible terms, the political posture of the DA.
“Having failed to impose its position through Council processes, the DA turned to the courts in a desperate attempt to block the implementation of an agreement that addresses long-standing wage disparities,” SAMWU stated.
“This is not an isolated incident, but part of a consistent pattern in which the DA seeks to reverse gains made by workers, whether in Tshwane or now in Johannesburg.”
