THE Mtubatuba municipal employees’ strike has been ongoing for more than a week and has left the town looking like a landfill site.
What started last week as a sit-in, limited to within the municipality’s chambers, became a full-on strike on Tuesday morning when municipal employees took to the streets.
According to Mtubatuba resident, Shaun Tidbury, after congregating at the municipal offices, striking workers marched up the street, singing and strewing litter before dispersing.
No violence was reported and the South African Police Services (SAPS) was patrolling intermittently but, as at Tuesday afternoon, had not needed to deal with outbreaks of violence.
‘Apart from the litter, they were well controlled and there were no signs of intimidation, to passers-by or vehicles,’ reported Tidbury on Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, residents from Mtubatuba and surrounding areas are fed up with the state of the streets, which are littered with refuse of every description.
While the first reports of this lack of service delivery were received before the municipal strike began, the strike has exacerbated the situation.
‘It’s frustrating going out and seeing children play with dirty diapers that are all over the streets because they will get sick. It is unhygienic and a disgrace,’ said Nompilo Dunge of KwaMsane.
‘Driving down John Ross Highway in Mtubatuba, the refuse is packed high and the stench is dreadful,’ said Riverview resident, Mrs Redinger.
‘Litter is lying outside KFC, Chicken Licken and supermarkets which is a health risk and will most definitely attract rats,’ said a Disgusted Ratepayer via emailed correspondence.
Many residents are questioning the need to pay refuse rates when this service is simply not being provided. And so soon after the elections.
‘It is time that Mtuba ratepayers hold back their rates and pay it into a separate account so we can clean the town ourselves (using contractors)… It is an absolute disgrace,’ concluded Disgusted Ratepayer.
When the Zululand Observer questioned the municipality about refuse collection in both KwaMsane and Mtubatuba, the employee in question was unsure whether the service was outsourced or in-house and agreed to look into it.
A full committee meeting regarding the strike was held at the Protea Hotel in Umfolozi on Tuesday afternoon, however, the municipality was unable to provide any answers or information.
PHOTO: Tamlyn Jolly
If everybody has to work for a tip, who’s to blame for the strike? Get real you greedy *** and pay your workers a pay that they actually can buy Food!
All of the so called services from the Mtuba Municipality is a laughing matter.For Six months now i am trying to get a water usage account out of them to pay for my water usage in St Lucia but no luck!! It seems as if they do have lots of money and dont need mine!?