ANA reports that the Municipal and Allied Trade Union of SA (Matusa) on Thursday condemned the police for brutally shooting at workers who had gone on strike because the Zululand District Municipality had failed to pay wages on the due date.  

An appalled Kurt Ziervogel, general secretary of the union, said “police shot and injured a number of our members earlier today.  Workers were striking as a result of the municipality not paying the February salaries”.  Salaries are payable on the 25th day of each month, but 25 February fell on the weekend.  As a result, workers had expected to get paid on Friday.  On Monday, Matusa members downed tools in protest as they had still not received their pay.  Workers gathered outside the gates of the municipal offices, where they waited in anticipation of being addressed by the mayor.  Ziervogel said instead of the mayor addressing them, he called the police who opened fire on the strikers.  A number of workers were seriously injured and had to be hospitalised.

• Read this report in full at The Citizen

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