The City of Johannesburg’s Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Environment and Infrastructure Services Department (EISD) Councillor Jack Sekwaila expresses concern regarding the waste collection disruptions that have affected three depots in recent days.
The MMC has urgently requested that Pikitup management, along with the board, convene a meeting with the organised labour and representatives of casual workers to address this issue. As a result, a meeting was held this morning with Pikitup, Organised labour and representatives of casual workers to discuss the matter and find a solution.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to resume normal operations while jointly addressing recruitment-related challenges with the City of Johannesburg, Pikitup, the organised labour and representatives of casual workers.
The MMC commends Pikitup management for swiftly resolving this issue and aims to keep residents updated following the disruptions at certain depots caused by disgruntled casual workers contracted through the service providers.
“It is important to note that not all depots were affected by the protest action. At this point, only three of the twelve depots are impacted, namely Marlboro, Midrand, and Randburg,” the MMC stated.
“Pikitup is currently implementing a catch-up plan to clear the waste collection backlog in the affected areas. Residents will be kept informed of our progress and notified if any further service-related challenges arise during this period,” added the MMC.
Additionally, it is essential to address the unfortunate political incident that occurred at the Randburg depot, where some political parties took the opportunity to campaign. It is inappropriate for politicians to exploit the issues faced by our people for political gain.
We have observed an instance where a political party claimed to assist the casual workers, fully aware that they cannot resolve the underlying issue between Pikitup and the casual workers, which does not require the intervention of anyone wearing a political party shirt.
The MMC would like to sincerely apologise to residents affected by missed waste collection on scheduled dates and assures them that efforts are underway to normalise waste collection services. The MMC also thanks residents for their patience and understanding during this period characterised by disruptions.
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