DURBAN - THE South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) in KwaZulu-Natal has slammed the sacking of nine Ugu district employees, describing the move as an attempt to silence whistle-blowers against corruption.
The union has called on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Sipho Hlomuka to intervene against the “unfair dismissals” which the municipality, on the other hand, defended as a move aimed at “maintaining law and order in the workplace”.
While the municipality did not divulge the nature of the charges, referring only to “various acts of gross misconduct”, Samwu provincial secretary Nokubonga Shinga said the district had charged its members, who were shop stewards, in connection with what it described as “an illegal strike”.
About 136 other workers were earlier dismissed in relation to the 2019 strike, during which the employees protested against what they referred to as rampant corruption in the South Coast-based municipality.
A subsequent Cogta forensic investigation into the municipality, which was concluded in August last year, exposed allegations of fraud and corruption and recommended criminal charges against several senior officials.
Last month the municipality announced it had concluded disciplinary proceedings and parted ways with its municipal manager, who had been suspended as a result of the Cogta probe.
The chief financial officer and a general manager – the two who had also been investigated – had since resigned, said communications co-ordinator Zimasa Mgwili.
Hlomuka said the Section 106(1)(b) of the Municipal Systems Act investigation was triggered by allegations of fraud, corruption, maladministration and statutory non-compliance in the municipality.
The MEC said the probe had found cases of fraud, corruption and maladministration as well as irregular, unauthorised and fruitless expenditure involving both former and existing officials, and a former councillor.
“The report made a number of findings against senior officials within the municipality regarding their failure to follow supply chain management policies in the awarding of tenders and failure to fulfil functions in relation to the performance of municipal bid committees,” he said when he delivered Cogta’s 2021/22 budget speech last week.
A highly-placed source within the provincial government, who is close to the issues, said the MEC’s recommendations had not yet been satisfactorily implemented.
Samwu came out guns blazing yesterday, vowing to fight the dismissal of the nine with all the ammunition at its disposal.
“We will appeal internally first. Failing which we will use the bargaining council platform. Like we have done in Newcastle, we will go as far as the Labour Court to ensure that our members are not threatened for blowing the whistle against fraud, corruption and maladministration,” Shinga said.
“The dismissal of these nine shop stewards follows yet another evil and ill-conceived decision by the municipality wherein 136 workers were dismissed last year.
“While the union is in the process of ensuring that the 136 dismissed workers are reinstated, the municipality deals another blow to the union by dismissing shop stewards, who are representing workers in the institution,” she said.
“As Samwu, we are convinced that the decision is nothing but an attempt to cripple the union so that (looting of resources can continue unabated).”
The union’s case to reverse the dismissals was before the Labour Court, Shinga said.
Municipal spokesperson France Zama said the nine had been found guilty of various charges levelled against them, adding the local authority would not be deterred in its campaign to uphold law and order in the workplace.
THE MERCURY