The Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, strongly condemned South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU), protesters on Monday, who left trash on the streets of East London and burnt Municipal property.
In a statement, the City said this is an act of vandalism and a public nuisance, undermining municipal operations and disrupting essential service delivery to the residents of Buffalo City.
“SAMWU has been issued with a certificate by the Bargaining Council authorising them to embark on a protected and peaceful strike.
However, the substantive issues underpinning their certificate are, in the main, matters of centralised collective bargaining, which fall outside the jurisdiction of the municipality to resolve. Those matters which are legitimately of a local concern have been fully attended to by the leadership in good faith” said the City.
The protest degenerated into violence and disruption, marked by the burning of municipal assets.
The police and municipal law enforcement dispersed the crowd.