Durban - eThekwini Municipality beach cleaning staff and lifeguards threw litter along eManzimtoti’s main beach on Tuesday while protesting against their management.
An official’s car was also pelted with rubble and bottles by about 50 disgruntled workers.
Municipal employees and lifeguards handed over a list of their grievances at the beach office on eManzimtoti main beach.
The employees were unhappy with one manager whose name they did not disclose.
None of the striking workers wanted to speak to the media fearing they would be victimised.
The main promenade was trashed when refuse bins were turned over and a bin set alight.
Litter from restaurants, including food, lay on the verges and pathways leading to the beach. The beach was temporarily closed. When police arrived at the beach the municipal workers were sitting on the grass next to the lifeguard office waiting for a response.
eThekwini Ward 97 councillor, Andre Beetge, described it as “mayhem” on the beachfront.
He said a meeting between lifeguards and trade union representatives took place on Monday at the eManzimtoti Civic Centre.
Beetge was at the beach trying to address the disgruntled employees. He said the beaches were left unguarded and restaurants closed and patrons turned away.
“Amid broken bottles and smoking refuse bins, they cited their dissatisfaction with beach management regarding alleged double standards in comparison to their counterparts on Durban’s beaches.
“One employee, chanting his support for a specific political party and to the great amusement of his colleagues, went as far as pulling his pants down and displaying his rear as an act of defiance. The car of a manager from the department, who arrived on site to engage with employees, was damaged when bottles and other objects were thrown at it,” Beetge said.
Questions regarding the closure of several eThekwini beaches were raised during the Easter season and towards the end of the 2014/15 financial year, with the relevant department revealing that it overspent the overtime budget and as such, couldn’t afford to deploy lifeguards for extended periods along lesser used beaches.
A spokesman for the eThekwini Municipality had not responded to an e-mail by the time of publication.
Daily News