Workers in bright South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) t-shirts filled the streets of Pretoria on Thursday, waving placards demanding salaries, secure jobs and functioning municipalities.
At the front walked the leaders of the union, flanked by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP), united behind a single message that the National Treasury’s austerity programme is pushing local government towards collapse.
The march, which drew hundreds of municipal and water-sector workers from across the country, was aimed squarely at Treasury, which has recently withheld funding from struggling municipalities.
Dispute about more than municipal finances
For the SACP, the dispute is about far more than municipal finances.
General secretary Solly Mapaila accused Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana of abandoning the African National Congress (ANC)’s historic commitment to developmental government in favour of what he called a market-driven economic agenda.
“The government has gone rogue. The minister has gone rogue in finance,” Mapaila declared to loud applause from the crowd.
“They are decapitating local government in our country, making it impossible for workers to serve communities. They are denying workers their pay.”
The disagreement is over austerity, a policy of reducing government spending to contain debt and deficits. Treasury argues it promotes fiscal discipline. Its critics say it strips the state of the resources needed to deliver essential public services.
Visible consequences
For Mapaila, the consequences are already visible.
“When the people have no water, no electricity, no roads, and no collection of refuse, it’s because of the national government refusing to support local government,” he said.
Treasury insists withholding portions of the equitable share is intended to force financially distressed municipalities to improve governance and accountability.
Mapaila rejected that explanation.
“No, it’s not. It’s to force them to comply with the neoliberal regime of financial management that does not talk to the services for the people,” he said.
“Their concern is to save money, let alone the services that our people should have.”
He argued that municipalities responsible for delivering water and electricity cannot simply be left to survive without national support.
“If you impose this kind of system, the municipality will collapse. The people won’t get basic services.”
Market over state
For the SACP, neoliberalism means allowing market principles, rather than the state, to determine how public services are funded and delivered.
Mapaila warned that this approach was steadily shifting control of essential services away from government.
“In this municipality where we are, the private sector is taking over electricity supply,” he said.
“Ultimately, the national grid in the country is controlled by capital. If you don’t have money, you won’t be able to have access to energy.”
The ideological clash has become increasingly visible inside the governing alliance. While the presidency continues to defend fiscal restraint as necessary to stabilise public finances, its alliance partners argue that cutting spending weakens the very local governments expected to deliver services to poor communities.
‘We reject this assault on workers’ rights’
The workers who marched through Pretoria said they were living with those consequences daily.
Many carried placards demanding unpaid salaries, reinstatement of dismissed shop stewards and payment of money owed since the Covid-19 period.
Mapaila said workers had exhausted every avenue.
“Workers have the right to down tools and to tell those in the high offices that these workers, who are working very hard every single day, are not being paid their money,” he said.
“Others even took this matter to court. They won it in court. The government can’t comply even with the court order.”
As the march advanced towards Treasury’s offices, whistles echoed through the Pretoria CBD while workers broke into struggle songs, insisting the battle was no longer only about wages.
“It is about protecting local government and its role in serving communities,” Mapaila said.
“And we reject this assault on workers’ rights, workers’ job security and workers’ wages.”
ALSO READ: Treasury warns departments to pay or face funding freeze
- Workers in bright South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) t-shirts filled the streets of Pretoria on Thursday, waving placards demanding salaries, secure jobs and functioning municipalities.
- At the front walked the leaders of the union, flanked by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP), united behind a single message that the National Treasury’s austerity programme is pushing local government towards collapse.
- The march, which drew hundreds of municipal and water-sector workers from across the country, was aimed squarely at Treasury, which has recently withheld funding from struggling municipalities.
- Dispute about more than municipal finances For the SACP, the dispute is about far more than municipal finances.
- General secretary Solly Mapaila accused Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana of abandoning the African National Congress (ANC)’s historic commitment to developmental government in favour of what he called a market-driven economic agenda.
Workers in bright
At the front walked the leaders of the union, flanked by the
For the SACP, the dispute is about far more than municipal finances.
General secretary Solly Mapaila accused Finance Minister Enoch
"
"
For Mapaila, the consequences are already visible.
"When the people have no water, no electricity, no roads, and no collection of refuse, it's because of the national government refusing to support local government," he said.
Treasury insists withholding portions of the equitable share is intended to force financially distressed municipalities to improve governance and accountability.
Mapaila rejected that explanation.
"No, it's not. It's to force them to comply with the neoliberal regime of financial management that does not talk to the services for the people," he said.
"
ir concern is to save money, let alone the services that our people should have." The
He argued that municipalities responsible for delivering water and electricity cannot simply be left to survive without national support.
"If you impose this kind of system, the municipality will collapse.
For the SACP, neoliberalism means allowing market principles, rather than the state, to determine how public services are funded and delivered.
Mapaila warned that this approach was steadily shifting control of essential services away from government.
"In this municipality where we are, the private sector is taking over electricity supply," he said.
"Ultimately, the national grid in the country is controlled by capital. If you don't have money, you won't be able to have access to energy."
Mapaila said workers had exhausted every avenue.
"Workers have the right to down tools and to tell those in the high offices that these workers, who are working very hard every single day, are not being paid their money," he said.
"
As the march advanced towards Treasury's offices, whistles echoed through the Pretoria CBD while workers broke into struggle songs, insisting the battle was no longer only about wages.
"It is about protecting local government and its role in serving communities," Mapaila said.
"
ALSO READ: Treasury warns departments to pay or face funding freeze
