Riot Hlatshwayo

Riot Hlatshwayo

The problems of about 50 municipal workers in the former Bohlabela District that was transferred from Limpopo to Mpumalanga in March are far from over.

Last month the Ehlanzeni District Municipality failed to pay the employees on time. They staged a sit-in at the Ehlanzeni offices in Nelspruit, more than 120km away, before they were paid.

The employees, who are based in Thulamahashe, near Bushbuckridge, claim they are frustrated because most of their office furniture, including computers and vehicles, were taken away by the Ehlanzeni District Municipality.

The municipality initially threatened to remove the furniture in August and sent a truck to transport it away, but employees chased the truck driver away.

At the time the workers downed tools because of the municipality's threat to remove the furniture. but returned to work when they were reassured the furniture would not be removed.

When Sowetan visited the offices this week it found that some offices only had tables in them. There were no chairs, telephones or computers.

Yesterday Simphiwe Kunene, the spokesman for the interim administration of Ehlanzeni District Municipality referred Sowetan to Advocate Hugh Mbatha, the Ehlanzeni municipal manager, but his cellphone was switched off.