Traffic was backed for almost 2km on the main road leading to the town of Port St Johns as angry municipal workers burned tyres and wood to block the route.
The aggrieved workers are demanding the immediate removal of the municipal manager Ngamela Pakade who they accuse of corruption including flouting regulations and policies in awarding multimillion-rand contracts to private companies.
They also want the removal of council speaker Thandisizwe Kukula, corporate services manager Fundisile Guleni and chief whip Bulelwa Nokanda.
They claimed Pakade's contract expired in August but he was still occupying the municipal manager's office where he was taking decisions although he did not even have a letter of appointment either from mayor Lindelwa Rolobile or the Eastern Cape local government and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa.
"That person is not a municipal manager and we want him to be removed," said Andile Bara, who is South African Municipal Workers Union secretary in the Port St Johns.
He claimed the council had also failed to implement many resolutions taken including the payment of overtime.
But when approached for comment on the matter of the municipal manager, Rolobile was unable to say whether Pakade was still carrying out duties in that office.
All she could say was,"Yes he is still with the municipality.
On the issue of the other grievances raised by the protesting employees, she said she had asked the workers to write them down but had not received them.
Protests over Port St Johns municipal manager escalates
The aggrieved workers are demanding the immediate removal of the municipal manager Ngamela Pakade who they accuse of corruption including flouting regulations and policies in awarding multimillion-rand contracts to private companies.
They also want the removal of council speaker Thandisizwe Kukula, corporate services manager Fundisile Guleni and chief whip Bulelwa Nokanda.
They claimed Pakade's contract expired in August but he was still occupying the municipal manager's office where he was taking decisions although he did not even have a letter of appointment either from mayor Lindelwa Rolobile or the Eastern Cape local government and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa.
"That person is not a municipal manager and we want him to be removed," said Andile Bara, who is South African Municipal Workers Union secretary in the Port St Johns.
He claimed the council had also failed to implement many resolutions taken including the payment of overtime.
But when approached for comment on the matter of the municipal manager, Rolobile was unable to say whether Pakade was still carrying out duties in that office.
All she could say was,"Yes he is still with the municipality.
On the issue of the other grievances raised by the protesting employees, she said she had asked the workers to write them down but had not received them.
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