(Picture Facebook): One of SAMWU members who was allegedly attacked by security guards at the Naledi Local Municipality)
By REGINALD KANYANE
South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) in the North West intends to take legal action against the embattled Naledi Local Municipality. This comes after a few members belonging to the union were allegedly attacked by the security guards at the municipality during a standoff on Wednesday.
SAMWU provincial secretary, Vincent Diphoko said they had a meeting with some of the employees over lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs). Diphoko added that they tried in numerous times to address the matter with the municipality, but their request fell in deaf ears.
“There was a separate meeting between our national structure and the municipality. The municipality called a schedule 8 meeting where it was intending to charge our provincial chairperson and the regional secretary of Mahikeng. So, the SAMWU national and the provincial leadership were there to facilitate the meeting.
“However, workers went outside the meeting that we held and went to demand the PPEs from the municipal management. In that process, the security guards employed by the municipality ambushed them with violence. Unfortunately, some of our members were injured in that process and our national treasurer was admitted to hospital because of pepper spray,” he said.
Diphoko added that they are now waiting for a legal opinion from their head office and they will decide whether to open a criminal case against the security company or the municipality. He said they are still compiling a report to check how many people were injured, but confirmed that one person was admitted to the hospital for medical assistance.
However, the acting municipal manager, Thabo Appolus refuted the allegations. Appolus said those workers disrupted their meeting.
“We have supplied all our workers with Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs). Our records also show that the said officials that were demanding PPEs were given them. So, the issue was not about the PPEs. The SAMWU national officials came as a request from us because we had a schedule 8 meeting in terms of the Labour Relation Act.
“There are issues relating to the contravention of Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and as management, we were instituting disciplinary action against their members,” he said.
Appolus added that the situation has returned to normality and the municipality will continue with its course to charge those who transgressed. He said they also agreed with the SAMWU leadership to ensure that service delivery is disrupted.
The Guardian 