SOWETO – City of Johannesburg deputy mayor Loyiso Masuku has apologised to residents for the lack of service delivery as a result of strike at Pikitup.
“Let me start by sincerely apologising to the residents of the City of Johannesburg. Disruption is waste collection is an unfortunate situation,” she said.
Johannesburg authorities are racing to regain control of the City.
They are negotiating with striking Pikitup casual workers. Protesters have paused disruptions to waste collection.
They warn they will resume the strike if talks fail by Tuesday. Meanwhile, the City said it is working to clear the waste collection backlog.
Masuku said they have been trying to clear the backlog since Monday.
“As of today, we can confirm with you that 11 out of our 12 depot areas are actually functional. We are working throughout the weekend and the public holiday to clear the backlog so that when we resume our normal schedule at least the backlog has been cleared.
“We are an honest government. We are not in a position to absorb all 385 casual workers. Remember these casual workers are contracted to the service provider that actually has an SLA (Service Level Agreement) with the City.
“So they are not casual workers who work for the City of Joburg, they work for the company that is contracted. But we are honest that we are not in a position right now. However, the engagements that Pikitup management has been having with them is looking at different solutions gradually how the situation can be met,” she added.