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Disgruntled workers cause mayhem at Ditsobotla municipality in North West

Contract workers allegedly stormed the Ditsobotla municipal offices in Lichtenburg, took documents and threw them on the streets.
Contract workers allegedly stormed the Ditsobotla municipal offices in Lichtenburg, took documents and threw them on the streets.
Image: Supplied

North West co-operative governance, human settlements & traditional affairs MEC Nono Maloyi has called for stricter security measures at the dysfunctional Ditsobotla local municipality and other municipalities in the province. 

This follows an incident on Wednesday when about 150 contract workers allegedly stormed the municipal building and took documents which they threw in the streets of Lichtenburg.

“We will not tolerate this sort of behaviour, be it from officials, councillors or members of the public. We will bring in law enforcement agencies to restore law and order in Ditsobotla when necessary,” he said.

There are contradicting claims about the status of the contract employees.  

According to Maloyi's office, the contracts of the employees were not renewed and they retaliated, while DA leader in the area Yusuf Laher said the employees stormed the offices because they were not paid their December salaries. 

According to Laher, about 150 employees were not paid their December salaries. 

“They have been sent from pillar to post by the administrator and they ended up doing what they did,” he told TimesLIVE. 

He was not sure what documents the workers threw out. 

“I didn't look at the documents because it is personal information of people and I didn't want to possibly contaminate the [crime] scene,” he said.

Ditsobotla is infamous for having had two mayors, two speakers and two municipal managers from warring ANC factions for most of 2022. It is also the place dairy giant Clover fled for KwaZulu-Natal in 2021 because of “ongoing poor service delivery”.

On December 14, by-elections were held in the municipality after the council was dissolved in September. The ANC received less than 50% of the votes, leaving a hung council with no party in the majority. 

Twenty days after the by-elections, the council has not yet been formed.

The last council meeting on December 28 — when councillors were expected to be sworn in, followed by the election of the mayor and speaker — descended into chaos and was abandoned.

These functions are now expected to be fulfilled at the next council meeting on January 9.

TimesLIVE

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