Our Viewpoint | Service disruption, attack on journalists

The disruption of essential municipal services in Msunduzi this week cannot be justified as a legitimate form of labour protest. A dispute over surveillance devices in municipal vehicles has left residents without water and electricity, with the vulnerable most severely impacted. Workers have every right to raise concerns about workplace policy, consultation and legal compliance.

Those concerns must be addressed through established structures, formal grievance procedures and, where necessary, lawful industrial action. Wildfire stoppages that halt essential services before contingency plans are in place undermine the very principles of organised labour, which are rooted in solidarity, due process, and the protection of all workers, not only those directly involved in a dispute. Samwu’s warning that “all services that utilise municipal vehicles will not use these vehicles until we get a legal opinion” illustrates a position taken without adequate regard for the consequences for other workers, residents and employers across the city.

Water is not a discretionary service that can be withdrawn without consequence. In a period of intense heat, the loss of supply places the sick, the frail, and the elderly at immediate risk of dehydration and medical complications, while young children are particularly vulnerable to rapid fluid loss and poor sanitation. Clinics, care homes, and households rely on a constant supply for drinking, hygiene, and the safe preparation of food.

[paywall]

When electricity teams down tools, factories halt production, shops close their doors and employees lose income. Service delivery is the backbone of urban economic life; to withdraw it without lawful process is to place jobs and livelihoods at risk. Equally troubling is the attack onWitnessjournalists who were carrying out their duty to report on a matter of clear public interest.

Journalists do not take sides; they document events so that the public can be informed. To grab equipment, throw stones, and issue threats is an affront to press freedom and to the public’s right to know. If a protest is conducted in public space, public scrutiny is inevitable.

There is a clear path forward. Follow lawful procedures. Engage through recognised dispute resolution channels.

Allow for contingency measures that protect residents and the economy. And respect the role of the media. A city cannot function if essential services become bargaining chips and reporters become targets.

[/paywall]