News24 reports that a battle erupted in Bloemfontein on Wednesday after more than 1,000 members of the South African Municipal Workers Union allegedly set fire to the city hall.
According to Netwerk24, police used stun grenades, rubber bullets and water to disperse them. Engulfed by thick smoke in the city centre, the striking workers fled into the streets and threw stones and bottles at moving and stationary vehicles. Smoke triggered emergency alarms in the Volksblad building and employees had to evacuate the premises. The police arrested some of the striking workers inside and outside the city hall. They were apparently upset because the metro's executive mayor, Olly Mlamleli, did not want to sign an agreement at the local labour forum on Tuesday, which would have given each employee a R2,500 a month increase. City manager Tankiso Mea said he and Mlamleli would deliver a joint statement on Thursday.
- Read this report by Marietjie Gericke in full at News24
- Read too, Bloemfontein City Hall set alight allegedly by municipal workers, at EWN
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page