The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) in Tshwane has noted with great concern the failure by the City of Tshwane to procure diesel for the Tshwane Bus Service (TBS) which is responsible for ferrying tens of thousands of passengers on a daily basis to and from work. The TBS has become the primary mode of transport for many workers who are already feeling the effect of the increasing cost of living and the collapse in the rail infrastructure. The City has since announced the suspension of TBS indefinitely. 

Of great concern to us is the fact that many workers, including municipal workers in the City have bought TBS monthly and weekly tickets as they are comparably cheaper than daily tickets. Despite workers having parted with their last cents in buying these tickets, the City is now failing to ferry workers to and from work. The City has even gone as far as advising these workers to make alternative transport arrangements. With what money will workers make alternative transport in? Workers have already paid their money to the City and as such, the City should ensure that they receive the service which they have bought. 

As a union, we marched to Tshwane House in mid-August to deliver a memorandum of demands which included the procurement of fuel for the City’s entire fleet. We further highlighted that TBS plays an important economic role in the City but the administration has turned a blind eye on this issue by their failure to continually have a sufficient supply at all times. 

We have since learnt that the fuel shortages have now spread to other departments, in particular, the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD). As a union, we are very concerned by the impact that this will have on the fight against crime in the City. Our communities have become playing grounds for criminals and gangs who terrorise community members on a daily basis. Without fuel, TMPD will not be able to conduct visible policing or respond to emergencies and crime scenes within the City thus putting the lives of all Tshwane residents in danger. 

As has been the case previously, when the City fails to deliver services to residents, municipal workers are labelled as lazy and incompetent, a situation which in many cases has become volatile, resulting in municipal workers being physically attacked and held hostage by community members. This is one of the ways in which the City’s management has deliberately put community members against municipal workers. 

We, therefore, demand that the City should with immediate effect replenish its fuel supply and ensure that there is a consistent supply at any given time. We further call for consequences to those who have neglected their duties by allowing the situation to be where it is today. As SAMWU, we will hold the City accountable for any death, injury and inconvenience that arise out of the failure to keep a sufficient and constant fuel supply. 

Issued by SAMWU Gauteng Province

Mpho Tladinyane

Provincial Secretary 

083 941 5888

Or 

Valantine Matlala

Deputy Regional Secretary 

084 465 5598