As striking Grahamstown municipal workers wait to hear the outcome of talks this afternoon with Makana's senior management, conditions in parts of the town are close to intolerable.
As striking Grahamstown municipal workers wait to hear the outcome of talks this afternoon with Makana's senior management, conditions in parts of the town are close to intolerable.
The strike by members of the South African Municipal Workers Union began on Thursday 3 July, the first day of the National Arts Festival. The Festival ends on 13 July. Tens of thousands of people visit Grahamstown during this period.
While the number of strikers has dropped to a handful, protests continued in Church Square today. The municipality says the strike is illegal.
Rubbish lies strewn across verges in the city's suburbs and toilet buckets in part of the town are full to overflowing.
Joza residents feel they're fighting a losing battle as strong winds fill their yards with debris.
Joza resident Siyabulela Gungxe, 43, said, “As you can see there are papers everywhere. Now we are forced to clean our yards every day because people just decided to dump their rubbish on that field.
“It’s filthy and so smelly here, and that is not good for any of us especially our children, they are prone to many illnesses during a time like this.”
In Nandi informal settlement, residents are forced to trek to neighbouring Phumlani to relieve themselves as waste fills toilet buckets in their area.
“When the buckets are full we have no other option but to go to Phumlani and use their toilets. There is no other way,” resident Nomalanga Ngcongo said.
Phumlani has running water and flushing toilets.
"This is not right. We don’t even have water here and when nature calls, you have to respond."
Spokesperson for Makana Municipality Yoliswa Ramokolo told Grocott's Mail yesterday that the strike was illegal.
"The Samwu public march was approved [to last]four hours on Thursday [3 July[ from 9am to 1pm," Ramokolo told Grocott's Mail.
"This is what was agreed between the parties.
"The prospect of handing over a petition was ruled out by Samwu on application," Ramokolo said.
"Henceforth, from Friday, the strike is not applied for and is therefore illegal."
In response to the union's complaint that the municipality's management had snubbed them, Ramokolo said, "Management cannot be accused of ignoring strikers. In both instances there was a lack of co-operation."
Meanwhile, in Church Square, art and life briefly went up against each other around midday today when local performance group, Manyano Traditional Dancers, began setting up in front of Lewis furniture store.
The Samwu group told them to move from there, because their group's drum would drown the strikers' singing.
But the drummers got their prime spot soon after Samwu chairperson Zolisa Kolisi emerged from the city hall.
Kolisi asked the strikers to return tomorrow (Tuesday 8 July) to hear the outcome of a meeting between Samwu Makana leadership, regional Samwu official Sicelo Gqobhane and Makana Municipality management.
The meeting was still in progress at 3pm on Monday 7 July.
