The Star reports that Johannesburg ratepayers forked out R135 million in five weeks to keep waste and refuse collection company Pikitup running during a protracted violent strike last year.  

The money was spent on service providers appointed without going through normal tender processes because of the emergency.  The various contracts related to casual labour, drivers, cleaning equipment, consumables and tools and physical security.  The urgency arose after disgruntled staff downed tools for five weeks in March and April last year, demanding better pay and the dismissal of then-MD Amanda Nair.  She was dismissed later in the year after internal investigations.  During the five weeks of the illegal strike, refuse collection, street sweeping and litter picking services ground to a halt.  This saw the accumulation of waste, posing severe health risks to poorly developed areas and in the CBD.  The expenditure has been described as a “waste of resources” by the SA South African Municipal Workers Union’s Papikie Mohale (Samwu).

• Read this report by Sihle Manda in full at The Star

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