Outcry over Pietermaritzburg CBD’s poor state due to illegal strike

RATEPAYERS and opposition parties are outraged at the poor state of the Pietermaritzburg CBD following a crippling strike by workers in the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).

- THAMI MAGUBANE

The staff downed tools a few days ago, demanding to be hired on a full-time basis. The strike has left mountains of uncollected refuse in the streets.

Msunduzi Municipality spokesperson Ntobeko Mkhize stated that the strike was now over.

“The Msunduzi Municipality is hard at work catching up on the impact of the recent illegal strike, particularly in the areas of cleansing and waste collection for both business and domestic waste.

“While attending to our scheduled waste collection programme, we are also simultaneously addressing the backlogs that accumulated to ensure that waste management, as a critical trading service, is fully restored.

“The municipality sincerely apologises to our communities for the disruption to this basic service over the past two weeks due to the illegal strike. We remain firmly committed to ensuring the consistent provision of waste management services across the City,” she said.