Pretoria News reports that after three months of scraping by on reserves, waste management sub-contractors responsible for waste removal in Pretoria downed tools on Monday.  

They said they had gone for months without being paid by the city’s main contractor, Moipone Group of Companies.  Contractor Dan Mawela said the 28 sub-contractors affected had been trying to survive on their cash reserves to ensure workers and vehicles used for waste collection kept operating despite the lack of payment.  He stated:  “The workers are our responsibility and that is why we have tried our best to keep paying them, using whatever means we could.  But we can’t keep going on as if it’s business as usual without being paid…  but our cash reserves are depleted and we need a way forward.”  The city has apparently paid the main contractor, which has failed to process the payments in turn.  A city spokesperson confirmed that several areas across the city had experienced disruptions of waste collection services since Monday.

• Read this report by Goitsemang Tlhabye in full at Pretoria News

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