News24 reports that Msunduzi Local Municipality staff members downed tools on Wednesday, halting traffic in the Pietermaritzburg CBD after it emerged that they had not been paid.  

Staff members are normally paid on the 24th of each month, but there was no money in their accounts on Wednesday morning.  The downing of tools began with staff from the refuse division, who converged at city hall and were soon joined by staff from other departments.  A power failure is believed to have been initiated by angry municipal staff.  Acting city manager Sizwe Hadebe told workers that his understanding was that “the system at FNB was hacked and that is why there are such problems."  A FNB spokesperson confirmed that the municipality was the bank’s client, but dismissed suggestions of a systems hack.  The SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) decried the response from the municipality.

• Read this report in full at News24

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