The Tswaing local municipality in North West has defied a Labour Court order by reinstating 24 employees affiliated to the powerful South African Municipal Workers Union.
The fired workers subsequently received unexplained “stress relief” payments, despite no official policy justifying such payouts.
The reinstated workers were dismissed for brutally assaulting two municipal managers, Moruti Manoto in 2021 and Temeki Mabokela in 2022, who resisted pressure to award tenders to politically connected contractors.
The new municipal manager, Sello Maroga, is now reportedly also under threat, with fears of another violent attack.
Insiders claim councillors colluded with workers to influence tender awards to “preferred contractors” in exchange for kickbacks.
It is alleged that municipal managers who refused to comply were targeted, suggesting a criminal syndicate operating within the council.
The municipality flouted a 2021 Labour Court ruling that endorsed the dismissals, raising questions about political interference and the erosion of judicial authority.
Municipal officials risked their safety to expose the scandal, filing a complaint with the Special Investigative Unit (SIU). According to the whistleblowers, the municipality does not have a stress relief policy.
In the complaint to the SIU in November last year, the complainants stated that it was unheard of for dismissed employees, who were sacked through correct procedures and whose dismissals were endorsed by the Labour Court, to be paid stress relief after being reinstated under questionable circumstances.
“The whole thing started on issues of tenders, where the employees and councillors were colluding to influence the awarding of multimillion-rand contracts to their preferred contractors.
“In that way, once contractors preferred by the politicians got tenders, the same councillors and workers would stand to benefit from kickbacks from project payments for the job done by businesspeople.
“This is where Manoto and Mabokela were beaten up by workers because they did not want to listen to instructions on who should get tenders, as they were seen as obstacles who could block preferred contractors at the municipality,” said an insider at the
municipality.
Another source revealed that since they were reinstated, the workers have restarted their rampage and they are now targeting the new municipal manager, Maroga, who it is alleged could be next to be assaulted as he is also regarded as a problem.
“These people are now ganging up against Maroga and if this whole thing is not stopped, it’s going to be more mayhem in the municipality.
“Those employees are causing chaos here and based on the turmoil, someone is going to be killed, if not many people,” said a source.
In September 2021, the Labour Court dismissed the appeal of the 24 employees to have them reinstated, however, the municipality’s bosses nevertheless decided to reinstate them. Mabokela said: “I was attacked by a mob of Samwu workers last year where they had pelted my car with stones. They did this when I started to ask questions on appointment and many other issues. I have since left that municipality as my life came first.”
Maroga said that he also experienced hostility after Sanco members stormed the council.
“What I can tell you is that Sanco members came to me and told me that they needed things to be done on how they want them. I haven’t had an experience of being violently attacked so far. I engaged Sanco and accepted their memorandum based on their complaints. I am aware of what the workers did to the previous municipal managers, and this is concerning big time. As of now, I am still okay despite some people being hostile to me,” said Maroga.
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