Pretoria - The ANC in Gauteng has thrown its support behind the three-month strike led by the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) demanding wage increase for workers in the City of Tshwane.
This was revealed by ANC Gauteng secretary Thembinkosi “TK” Nciza this week in the run-up to Cosatu’s march to Tshwane House set for today.
Nciza also slammed the multiparty coalition in Tshwane for failing to submit financial statements to the auditor-general on August 31 for the year under review.
This was despite Tshwane’s municipal manager Johann Mettler indicating last month that the metro had sought an extension. to afford the City sufficient time to finalise outstanding matters on the financials.
He believed the extension would also afford the City sufficient time to address some of the findings made by the AG in the 2021/22 financial year.
The City, Mettler said, would submit the financials in three months.
Nciza said the AG could not account for a R10 million irregular expenditure for the previous financial year. He slated the City for misrepresenting its financial statements to the AG for 2021/2022.
Former chief financial officer Umar Banda was blamed for this, resulting in his contract being terminated.
He launched a court bid to overturn the dismissal at the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, in December but was unsuccessful.
Nciza said: “The DA-ActionSA-led administration in the City of Tshwane has continually exhibited unprecedented instability in governance, maladministration, with the finances of the municipality in a shambles due to mismanagement. This has resulted in the deterioration of service delivery, particularly in black communities across Tshwane.”
In the same breath, he said the ANC supported the workers affiliated to Samwu engaging in a strike action for wage increases.
“The ANC condemns the poor leadership that is being displayed by the DA-led administration in Tshwane as they fail to reach an agreement with the workers,” he said.
He said the ANC believed that the municipal administration was not working in good faith to address workers’ demands.
The ANC is expected to join the Cosatu march to Tshwane House to express solidarity with the ongoing wage strike.
The trade union federation has repeatedly said it supported the demands by Samwu to defend the collective bargaining agreement and pay workers their salary increase.
Participants are expected to convene at the Marabastad old Putco depot in the morning and then march to the National Treasury and to Tshwane House.
The Tshwane Metro Police Department has warned motorists about possible traffic disruptions and said it will deploy officers to monitor the march and all streets likely to be affected.
Motorists are advised to use alternative routes such as Eskia Mphahlele Drive, Nana Sita, Francis Baard, WF Nkomo Street, Bloed, Sisulu, Du Toit and Nelson Mandela Drive.
The streets to be affected by the march are Struben, Cowie, Kgosi Mampuru, Sophie de Bryun, Madiba, Bosman, Paul Kruger, Thabo Sehume and Lillian Ngoyi.
Pretoria News