Lack of political will, corruption and favouritism within Makana Municipality and sewage fouling the streets drove municipal workers and Makana residents to march to the Council on Wednesday 21 August.
Lack of political will, corruption and favouritism within Makana Municipality and sewage fouling the streets drove municipal workers and Makana residents to march to the Council on Wednesday 21 August.
These and other concerns were listed in a memorandum handed to the Mayor by around 200 protesters. Organisers said it was the first time unions and the community had joined forces in this way to condemn the municipality's treatment of the working class and the residents of Makana.
The Makana branch of the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu), the Rural People's Movement (RPM) and the Unemployment People's Movement (UPM) marched from Dr Jacob Zuma drive intersection in Fingo to the city hall, with a list of grievances from both workers and the community.
The march started at 8am with members singing and carrying placards. One read, "Uyamosha Naidoo, Phuma!" (You are messing up, Naidoo, get out!"). Another read, "Asinamanzi, asinazindlu, No Jobs!" (No water, no houses, no jobs).
Cosatu deputy chairperson in the region Thulani Dondashe, handed a memorandum to the municipality on behalf of the union and the residents. 'On the delivery of basic services and on the endemic scourge of municipal corruption that is currently affecting the Makana Municipality's ability to deliver services' the document was headed.
Speaking on behalf Samwu's leadership, Unathi Nonzube, who is also Makana's acting HR manager, said they were fighting against corruption in the municipality. "Our problem is the fact that the organogram was not discussed with the labour union. Instead we see posts being advertised, interviews conducted every day… a person goes for an interview today and tomorrow they are in the office," Nonzube told Grocott's Mail on Wednesday.
"We also note that they are hiring hotels now to conduct interviews. That is wasteful expenditure." Municipal workers who took part missed a day's work, but the union's leadership told them to go back to work the next day (Thursday). In the memorandum the three groups listed seven demands to Makana municipality. These included that the municipality must "demonstrate political will by resolving the water crisis in Grahamstown and surrounding areas".
"Clean running water is our right!" the memorandum read. It demanded that urgent action be taken with regard to corruption in the provision of housing – a situation Mayor Zamuxolo Peter has confirmed. They also demanded that sewage spills should be fixed within 48 hours. The Mayor accepted the memorandum of grievances and promised that the municipality would respond within 30 days.
"We note the seven grievances [and]we promise to respond before the 30 days lapse. We want to thank Cosatu's leadership. It is for the first time we see them handing over a petition to this municipality. This shows the importance of things that are raised here," Peter said.
He said that 14 days from Wednesday they would set up a meeting with the leadership of all the groups. "It is true. Before you are a worker you are a resident. Within 14 days we will be ready to have a meeting with all the representatives from the unions," the Mayor said.
Nonzube informed the protesters that they will be kept in the loop about all the discussions. "Comrades we must thank you for the way you behaved. You were very disciplined and I know they expected us to mess up things. It seems the only way to get attention is to go on to the streets and protest."
"We urge those who are workers to go back tomorrow (Thursday 22 August), and the leadership will inform you about the discussions," he said.
