Drama is escalating in the troubled Tswaing Local Municipality in the North West, where the South African Municipality Workers Union (Samwu) is being accused of sabotaging service delivery and also acting more as a political party than a labour union.
This was revealed by the Tswaing Community Resistance Front, where the residents movement stated that it was rejecting Samwu’s capture and political sabotage. They distanced themselves from the union as they stated that it was not representing them and their interests as the community.
“After five years of chaos, corruption, and coercion, the community is speaking with one voice. Samwu does not represent us. For too long, the Tswaing community has endured a sustained period of disruption and degradation of municipal services. Directly attributable to the unlawful, unethical, and politically motivated conduct of Samwu and its affiliates.
Manipulation of public institutions
“This is not a political rebuke. It is a principled stand against the erosion of lawful governance and the manipulation of public institutions under the guise of labour advocacy,” said Tswaing Community Resistance Front.
The Tswaing community stated that it was Samwu’s “disingenuous appeals and its attempts to rewrite history” that reflects not advocacy, but sabotage.
This comes after Samwu in the region had stated on Friday last week that it was deeply disturbed by ongoing attempts to tarnish the image and efforts of municipal workers, particularly during a period where political tensions are escalating ahead of local government elections.
“It has become a regrettable tradition that as election season approaches, municipalities like Tswaing are turned into political battlegrounds, often at the expense of public service delivery and workers’ dignity. As Samwu, we vehemently condemn the false narrative that there is a collapse in service delivery within Tswaing Local Municipality.
“This is not only a politically opportunistic move to strengthen personal influence within the institution. It is also an unwarranted attack on the hard-working employees of this municipality who continue to serve the community diligently.
Factional politics
“Let it be clear: Samwu is not involved in factional politics. Our members are dedicated public servants, not political operatives. The attempt to use their service output as a pawn in factional battles is both shameful and reckless,” said Tswaing’s Samwu secretary, Thabang Chachu.
Chachu said that his union was also gravely concerned about growing reports of deliberate sabotage. During this the municipal infrastructure is being vandalised or stolen to manufacture a false narrative of service delivery failure.
“Intelligence gathered by our structures suggests these acts are orchestrated by individuals both within the ruling party and its opposition, who are desperate to dislodge existing municipal leadership by any means necessary.
“Further, we reject in the strongest terms the reckless name-dropping and misinformation campaigns suggesting that these destructive actions are sanctioned by high-ranking officials, including the premier and other senior ANC figures. Such propaganda undermines democratic governance and breeds public distrust,” he said.
Manufactured unrest
Chachu said that as the union representing workers, they will not be deterred by political grandstanding. Not by unlawful intimidation, or manufactured unrest, calling for the Tswaing community to stand with Samwu.
However, the community had none of Chachu’s call. It stated that it was rejecting Samwu’s accusation that residents are orchestrating unrest.
“On the contrary, we, the people of Tswaing, turn that accusation on its head. It is Samwu that has led a sustained campaign of institutional sabotage. Of political manipulation, and violent intimidation tactics that have become the norm for a union behaving more like a political party than a workers’ representative.
“Samwu is no longer acting in the interest of workers. It is operating as a political entity. It is wielding influence through coercion, factional lobbying, and administrative interference. These actions have not only affected our municipality, but have also undermined lawful governance. They have betrayed the very workers the union claims to protect,” said the group.
The community said that a group known as Noti 22, which it alleged to be Samwu members who are allegedly known for their violence and intimidation, was allegedly at the forefront in the violence and power capture at the council.
Political payoffs
“Despite clear court rulings against them, they have been rewarded with promotions and authority. Their rise is not the result of merit or service, but of political engineering. These are not public servants. These are political enforcers. Their promotions are not earned; they are political payoffs.
“We, the residents of Tswaing, will no longer remain silent. We demand accountability, lawful governance, and the restoration of integrity in our municipality,” they said.
Samwu secretary in the North West, Vincent Diphoko, condemned the crisis. He said on Tuesday that political squabbles or rivalries should not deprive service delivery to the community. People should not hide behind service delivery protests. They should not use them as a front to fuel their certain political gain, he said.
