DURBAN - BLACK employees at Durban Solid Waste (DSW) in Phoenix downed tools in fear that they may be attacked while collecting refuse in the suburb.
On Wednesday eThekwini Municipality officials addressed DSW workers in Phoenix, and motivated them to return to work. Some workers requested to be escorted by police or private security.
Two weeks ago violence and looting of businesses erupted in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Sparked by hate messages on social media, alleged looters travelling through Phoenix and people walking through the area were attacked, allegedly by residents who had barricaded roads to protect their shops and homes. Approximately 20 people were killed in Phoenix during the unrest. This fuelled racial tensions, with allegations that Indians were attacking Africans.
A source said that on Monday, DSW workers raised concerns about their safety. A skeleton crew, comprising mainly Indian staff, serviced parts of Phoenix with domestic refuse collection. The Phoenix DSW depot has eight trucks to service the suburb.
Ward 51 councillor Maggie Johnson confirmed that DSW employees did not want to work late shifts because of safety fears. Johnson said Phoenix had attracted the wrong stigma, when in fact, it was a peaceful community, and that life was back to normal.
“I believe DSW worked tirelessly last week to clear the backlog. Domestic refuse was not collected from several streets this week, but thus far there are no piles of litter. We hope the issue is resolved,” Johnson said.
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) had not commented at the time of publication.
eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Princess Nkabane said they were aware of the backlogs that the DSW team was dealing with, but not the allegations put forward by the Daily News. Nkabane said the municipality would investigate these allegations, and respond accordingly.
Daily News