A Phoenix shutdown was in effect, with several key routes blockaded by disgruntled residents on Wednesday, 13 March 2024.
Roads affected by the Phoenix shutdown on Wednesday, 13 March 2024
PLEASE NOTE: The third-party content below is shared on our platform for journalistic purposes. Swisher Post, its parent company, partners and affiliates shall not be held liable for any consequence that arises from the journalistic duties performed in sharing this content.
Disgruntled residents took to the streets to vent their frustrations with the eThekwini Municipality’s failure to render basic services amid an ongoing wage strike.
Public servants represented by the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) have been on an unsanctioned wage strike since 27 February 2024, with water, electricity and waste collection services largely impacted.
Despite the trade union’s press statement calling on workers to report to their respective posts, on Wednesday, parts of Phoenix and Verulam were still without electricity and piles of waste remained uncollected.
On Wednesday, several routes in the Durban suburb were considered no-go zones, with high protest activity. These areas, which motorists are advised to avoid, include:
- Westham Drive;
- Longbury Drive; and
- between Rydalpark and Croftvale.
Since the eThekwini Municipality obtained a court interdict that effectively declared the SAMWU wage strike unlawful, at least 70% of workers, mostly from the engineering department, have returned to their posts, City Manager Musa Mbhele reported at a council meeting, on Tuesday.
Mbhele also confirmed that the wage strike claimed the life of one City employee, who was fatally attacked while on duty.
Thus far, five suspects have been arrested in connection with the unrest, albeit, from what we understand, the perpetrators involved in the female public servant’s murder are still at large.
When this article was published, public order police were deployed to hotspot areas in the municipality to monitor the situation.
This is a developing story.