31/03/2025
''A special Council Meeting ending in a special way'''
Earlier today at the Dipaleseng Local Municipality buildings, the Municipal workers stormed into the Council chambers after being briefly denied entrance by the security guard inside the Chamber, where a Special Council Meeting was scheduled to take place from 10:00AM in the morning.
These municipal workers and members of the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) were demanding that their employer, which is the local municipality of Dipaleseng gives them an opportunity to table their frustrations and demands, since they have previously fell on deaf ears on previous occasions after a series of engagements and demonstrations by the workers.
One of the demands that the workers refused to negotiate on was that the Municipal Manager leaves the chamber with immediate effect as they deem him the main source of the problems that the workers and community of Dipaleseng are facing today because of corruption and improper governance. The Municipal Workers also raised their dissatisfaction towards their employer with regards to the deductions made from their salaries without their consent, stating that it is money for 'RENT'.
The Council requested that there be a brief caucus where they would be discussing some of the requests made by the workers away from the public, and that caucus came to a conclusion that the meeting be suspended and the speaker of council Cllr Msawawa Shozi requested that the members of the community excuse the meeting and only remain with SAMWU members in the chamber to discuss their internal affairs. What was suppose to be be a council meeting to discuss the issues affecting the community of Dipaleseng following the peaceful march initiated by SANCO, in collaboration with key stakeholders such as the Dipaleseng Business Chamber, Vuka Lova , PAC of Azania, SACP, CCIFSA Dipaleseng, Drug Free World, together with all Unemployment Forums representing the unemployed community of Dipaleseng, ended with a lot of questions as to what will be the future of Dipaleseng? And onebquestion remains... "What will happen to the Municipal Manager of DLM Lwazi Cindi?"
Article by: Khotso Mokoena