Johannesburg - The Soweto house of the Joburg member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for environment and infrastructure services Matshidiso Mfikoe has been petrol-bombed.
This is in the wake of soured relations between the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) and Pikitup, which falls under Mfikoe’s portfolio.
Since the unprotected strike started on March 9, Mfikoe has been outspoken, calling for workers to return or face dismissals.
On Thursday, Joburg’s mayoral spokeswoman Phindi Chauke said it was not clear if the attack was linked to the strike by disgruntled Pikitup workers.
“I can confirm that MMC Mfikoe’s house was petrol-bombed on Wednesday night. It is not clear who the culprits are, but she (Mfikoe) happens to be the political head in charge of the portfolio in the city that is responsible for Pikitup.
“Workers are currently on an unprotected work stoppage. But as to who is responsible, we can’t say it is Pikitup workers or whoever. It’s a criminal case now, and as it stands, it’s a matter for the SAPS to deal with,” said Chauke.
Samwu refused to entertain the matter.
“Police must investigate the matter. We can’t say anything about it. Ours is limited only to the issue of the workers,” said Samwu’s regional deputy secretary Paul Tlhabang.
Meanwhile, Tlhabang reiterated the union’s stance that the workers will not return to work for as long as the City of Joburg continues to come up with “delay tactics and stumbling blocks”.
“They are now demanding that workers return to work first before negotiations can resume. We rejected that,” Tlhabang said, adding there was no communication between the city and the union anymore.
“We have reached a stalemate. Matshidiso Mfikoe is talking to us via the media. She is saying in the media that the union is a problem, but she is the problem. She must come to us and stop talking in the media.”
Tlhabang said that if the city could afford to spend R1 million a day to pay outsourced workers, then it had no reason not to increase the workers’ salaries.
“What they are doing now is a waste (of money). Maybe the question we must ask is who is benefiting from these companies’?”
The Star