Buffalo City Metro mayor Alfred Mtsi, his deputy Xola Phakathi and acting municipal manager Nceba Ncunyana yesterday had to flee a memorial service for five city employees killed in a car accident last week.
Mtsi and his delegation arrived at the Victoria Grounds in King William’s Town shortly after 1pm to pay their respects to the five workers who died when a municipal bakkie they were travelling in overturned on the N2 near Breidbach.
The accident occurred while the workers were on their way to attend a meeting on the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) strike last Monday.
Four workers – Vumile Nyangule, 44, Zandise Shwaye, 52, Elliot Tyesha, 60, and Nyenzane Nogqala, 61 – died at the scene, while a fifth, Lazola Masingatha, 32, died in hospital last Friday.
Yesterday’s memorial service was hosted by Samwu.
On entering a tent shielding about 500 workers and families of the deceased from yesterday’s wind and rain, the mayoral delegation was greeted with hostility.
Workers began singing “the leadership of the municipality are killers” while others booed the delegates as they took their seats on the stage.
The trio of Mtsi, Phakati and Ncunyana were scheduled to speak and when it was their turn workers stood up and started singing “Singani betha sithanda” (we can beat you up if we want)”.
This was followed by another song with the words “Ncunyana we got you promoted to a higher position and once you were on the gravy train you sold us out, now p*** off!”
Samwu regional chairman Jacky Konzani took the microphone and pleaded with workers to calm down but this was met by resistance as they continued to raise their voices while dancing ever closer to where the politicians were seated.
Mayoral bodyguards and law enforcement officials then ripped the back of the tent open, allowing Mtsi, Phakati and Ncunyana to escape. They were rushed to their vehicles which sped off.
Some workers were overheard saying that “we should have beaten them up when we had a chance”.
The programme only continued after workers calmed down.
Their grievances with the metro leadership relates to a two-week strike that saw workers demanding to be paid R48000 in back pay from the time the municipality assumed metro status.
Negotiations, however, ended with union leaders and BCM management settling on a payment of R15000.
Konzani, who shared the table with the mayoral delegation before they fled, said: “Workers are angry that they did not get the money they wanted and on top of that their colleagues are dead. They blame the acting municipal manager for that.”
Mayoral spokesman Sibusiso Cindi referred questions on why Mtsi and his delegation left the memorial service before it finished directly to them. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Mayor forced to flee workers’ memorial service
Mtsi and his delegation arrived at the Victoria Grounds in King William’s Town shortly after 1pm to pay their respects to the five workers who died when a municipal bakkie they were travelling in overturned on the N2 near Breidbach.
The accident occurred while the workers were on their way to attend a meeting on the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) strike last Monday.
Four workers – Vumile Nyangule, 44, Zandise Shwaye, 52, Elliot Tyesha, 60, and Nyenzane Nogqala, 61 – died at the scene, while a fifth, Lazola Masingatha, 32, died in hospital last Friday.
Yesterday’s memorial service was hosted by Samwu.
On entering a tent shielding about 500 workers and families of the deceased from yesterday’s wind and rain, the mayoral delegation was greeted with hostility.
Workers began singing “the leadership of the municipality are killers” while others booed the delegates as they took their seats on the stage.
The trio of Mtsi, Phakati and Ncunyana were scheduled to speak and when it was their turn workers stood up and started singing “Singani betha sithanda” (we can beat you up if we want)”.
This was followed by another song with the words “Ncunyana we got you promoted to a higher position and once you were on the gravy train you sold us out, now p*** off!”
Samwu regional chairman Jacky Konzani took the microphone and pleaded with workers to calm down but this was met by resistance as they continued to raise their voices while dancing ever closer to where the politicians were seated.
Mayoral bodyguards and law enforcement officials then ripped the back of the tent open, allowing Mtsi, Phakati and Ncunyana to escape. They were rushed to their vehicles which sped off.
Some workers were overheard saying that “we should have beaten them up when we had a chance”.
The programme only continued after workers calmed down.
Their grievances with the metro leadership relates to a two-week strike that saw workers demanding to be paid R48000 in back pay from the time the municipality assumed metro status.
Negotiations, however, ended with union leaders and BCM management settling on a payment of R15000.
Konzani, who shared the table with the mayoral delegation before they fled, said: “Workers are angry that they did not get the money they wanted and on top of that their colleagues are dead. They blame the acting municipal manager for that.”
Mayoral spokesman Sibusiso Cindi referred questions on why Mtsi and his delegation left the memorial service before it finished directly to them. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
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