SAMWU demands for the OR Tambo District Municipality to be placed under administration.

August 21, 2023 adminPress

07 June 2021

The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) in the Eastern Cape Province is concerned about the state of political infighting in OR Tambo District Municipality, which poses a serious challenge both administratively and service delivery to our communities.

The Union has observed the following:

• The performance of the municipality is declining on a daily basis, the political instability in the municipality has a dire consequence of poor service delivery and possible loss of confidence of society in institution of government.
• Administration is being used by political leaders to serve their political self-serving interests.
• The Municipality has appointed two (2) Council Speakers and two (2) Mayors in different meetings.
• The Municipality is currently having three (3) Acting Municipal Managers and as results each Acting Municipal

Manager has appointed his/her acting Directors.

• Workers are confused about reporting lines due to these three (3) Acting Municipality Managers.
• High level of financial mismanagement and maladministration.
• Lack of political and administrative coherence.
• Abuse of power and state resource is at play.
• Non-sitting of relevant legislative structures.
• Union bashing is an order of the day.

As SAMWU Eastern Cape, we therefore demand that the MEC for Cooperative Governance in the province should intervene immediately at OR Tambo District with the intention of stabilizing the municipality.

We further request that consequence management should be used to deal with these tendencies that seek to undermine constitutional democratic institutions and relevant legislations that governs the local government sphere.

Issued by SAMWU Eastern Cape

SAMWU Provincial Secretary
Luzuko Yalezo
071 628 7586

Lorna Lubedu
Deputy Provincial Secretary
071 900 5014