Mogalakwena workers down tools over municipal manager

Workers at the Mogalakwena local municipality in Limpopo downed tools on Tuesday morning, demanding that council honours a recent high court judgment which declared that the appointment of municipal manager Morris Maluleke was unlawful.

The picket at the municipality’s offices in Mokopane comes after the Limpopo high court in Polokwane ruling last week.

However, Maluleke had continued reporting to work while the municipality said it was studying the judgment.

Workers have described this as a blatant disrespect for the law. The group of workers could be seen standing outside in the municipality’s yard after they walked out of their offices, meaning services to the public were also halted.

The spontaneous picket took place just hours before a council meeting which  was set to take place to discuss, among other matters, the high court judgment against Maluleke's appointment.   

SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) chairperson at the municipality Levycent Chipana said workers decided to picket after hearing that the municipality intends to appeal the case.

Chipana said they were concerned that the municipality would waste more money on legal fees by going to appeal, adding that Maluleke should vacate the position.

“Our worry is that it is the public’s purse that would be affected. In terms of the law, that man (Maluleke) is not an official of the municipality,” he said.

Samwu shop steward John Legodi said the municipality was hell-bent on hiring Maluleke, despite the court's pronouncement.

“They must not use council money to appeal the case of Mr Maluleke. Individuals that want him here must take it upon themselves to appeal with money from their pockets,” Legodi said.

He said they were shocked that an appeal was on the cards while the municipality was failing to upgrade the salaries of workers.

Sowetan had previously reported that residents Ephraim Mokoma and Samuel Sekgota, along with about 250 others, had approached the court asking for Maluleke's appointment to be declared illegal.

Mokoma wanted the court to make the ruling based on a council meeting that was held on August 8 where Maluleke was officially appointed. He wanted that meeting to be declared illegal on the basis that it had been postponed by speaker Pheladi Olifant.

But the court dismissed Mokoma’s application, saying that the absence of the speaker did not make the meeting illegal.

Instead, Maluleke’s appointment was set aside on the basis of the application made by Sekgota, who challenged the legality of his appointment by arguing that the selection panel was not properly appointed.

mahopoz@sowetan.co.za