WATCH | Msunduzi strike deepens as waste piles up across PMB

The waste management crisis in Msunduzi showed no sign of easing on Friday as striking municipal workers intensified their protest, leaving large parts of Pietermaritzburg strewn with uncollected refuse.

Key routes in the central business district, including Chief Albert Luthuli Street and Church Street near City Hall, were shut down on Friday morning as workers took to the streets to press their demands, bringing traffic to a standstill. A heavy police presence was deployed to monitor the situation.

The protest, led by members of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu), is part of an ongoing labour dispute with the municipality that dates back to last year and has repeatedly disrupted essential services across the city.

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Samwu secretary in the Mafika Mshengu Region, Bongi Gule, said workers from multiple departments had downed tools in a bid to force the municipality to address longstanding grievances.

We have been raising these issues since September last year. We marched again in March, but there has been no feedback from the City.

She said the union escalated its action to an office strike on Thursday and warned that disruptions would continue until the municipality engages meaningfully.

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Among the workers’ demands are the implementation of a revised grading system, a review of the municipal organogram they said was last approved in 2013, and the reinstatement of employees dismissed under what the union claims were irregular circumstances.

“There are workers who were fired by an unqualified attorney. We want those employees reinstated because they were dismissed by someone who did not follow proper processes,” Gule said, adding that several operational and labour-related issues remain unresolved.

On Friday, union leaders met with municipal officials in an effort to resolve the impasse, while striking workers continued to disrupt operations at the AS Chetty building on Church Street.

The ongoing strike has worsened waste collection backlogs across parts of the city, raising concerns among residents and businesses about health risks and deteriorating sanitation conditions.

Piles of refuse were visible in several areas, including outside City Hall, accompanied by a strong stench.

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In a statement, Msunduzi Municipality confirmed that services had been affected by the strike and that contingency measures had been implemented to mitigate disruptions.

Waste collection services have experienced disruptions in certain areas due to reduced staff availability. Alternative arrangements are being implemented and available teams have been dispatched.

Residents were urged to retain waste on their premises where possible until collection services are restored.

The municipality also warned that water and sanitation services had been significantly affected due to the absence of operational personnel, resulting in delays in responding to leaks, burst pipes and maintenance issues.

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Areas including Northdale, Woodlands and Willowton Industrial Extension and others have been without electricity for two days, with no one attending to the issues. Some areas, including Town Bush, experienced water outages.

Ward 25 councillor Reggie Khanyile said the municipality was exploring the use of independent contractors to assist in restoring services.

However, many potential service providers are reluctant to participate due to the volatile nature of the current situation. In the meantime, we are engaging the municipality to secure water tankers as an interim relief measure for affected communities.

He added that efforts were also under way to source privately hired water tankers as municipal tankers were not operational.

“We understand the frustration and inconvenience this outage is causing and assure residents that every effort is being made to find a solution and restore services as soon as possible,” he said.

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Electricity services remain operational under contingency arrangements, although response times may be longer due to limited staff, while traffic signal maintenance may also be affected.

The municipality continues to monitor the situation closely and remains committed to restoring normal operations as soon as circumstances permit.

Municipal management said it continues to engage with stakeholders while implementing measures to maintain essential services and protect infrastructure.