BREAKING NEWS: Total shutdown at Vhembe District municipality

The Vhembe District municipality, which has seen service delivery disruptions occur because of staff dissatisfaction throughout this year; to the extent where workers even missed their pay days on numerous occasions; is again at it.

On Thursday 3 December 2015 all services at the municipality, based in Thohoyandou, came to a standstill when hundreds of workers downed tools in protest against the appointment of a new municipal manager.

The new municipal manager, Ms Azwindini Makhari reported for work today (3 December) and workers are alleged to have given her a very cold welcome. According to sources, the new manager seemed to have known in advance that she would not be welcomed when she arrived at the offices at 5:00 in the morning.

Upon hearing that she was present, angry workers picketed outside the offices and it is alleged that the new manager was locked in her office for several hours. Workers later dispersed peacefully, but no one reported back to their work stations.

People from the general public who are seeking essential services like water, were turned away at the main door by a security guard, who informed them that there was no one available to assist them.

An angry woman who refused to give her name and had come with her daughter to buy water, took some containers from her car and used the municipal tap to draw water. “There is nothing I can do, I am very frustrated because we do not have water at home, I have the money to buy water, but there is no one to help us here. This is really bad as we do not even know what is actually happening here. We had to struggle to get water some weeks ago when water staff were on strike, and now that the strike is over we never expected this,” she said.

Date:03 December 2015

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019. He currently writes on a freelance basis, covering human rights issues, court news and entertainment.

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