Durban Metro cops roll up their sleeves and take out the trash

Durban metro police have become street sweepers, waste collectors and refuse truck drivers. 

Coupled with cleaning the streets, the cops have also undertaken duties of collecting waste, putting out fires and even driving water tankers to supply residents who have had no water. 

This comes in the wake of an ongoing eThekwini municipal strike which has left scores of residents in suburbs throughout the metro without water or waste not being collected.

Metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Parboo Sewpersad said it was all hands on deck for their members, with some putting in extra hours to help residents. 

"Police are cleaning roads, clearing rubbish, picking up waste, driving municipal dustbin trucks. We are also getting small water tankers to put out fires over service delivery protests taking place," he said on Tuesday.

This comes as an agreement was being negotiated on Tuesday to end the crippling municipal strike.

According to the South African Municipal Workers' Union's (Samwu's) KZN provincial secretary, Jaycee Ncanana, there have been some developments which "suggest an agreement is likely to be met shortly". 

Ncanana said this was after a proposal was earlier made by the commissioner of the CCMA for consideration by Samwu as well as the city. 

"The proposal is still being addressed with the workers," Ncanana said.