After a fortnight of uncollected refuse, residents of Randburg in the north of Johannesburg, finally saw waste collection services restart, after casual workers reached an agreement to reopen thePikitupdepot following discussions with management. Operations at the depot had been fully halted for seven days as protesting casual employees went on strike,insisting on permanent contracts they maintained were promised to them in 2023.The workers also raised concerns about alleged nepotism in the company’s recruitment practices. The work stoppage saw the Pikitup Randburg depot gates blocked with piles of refuse, while rubbish accumulated across multiple suburbs, creating what residents described as a growing health hazard.
A breakthrough was reportedly reached when workers agreed to allow trucks to leave the depot after management committed to convening a board meeting on Thursday and to provide formal feedback to workers on Friday, as reported by The Citizen on Thursday. Earlier in the week, Pikitup chief operating officer Meyrick Ramatlo rejected the workers’ allegations of nepotism, saying such claims were being investigated by the City of Johannesburg. “We have encouraged them to report these matters.
[The] City of Johannesburg’s forensic department is currently investigating those allegations,” Ramatlosaidon public broadcaster SABC. “We are awaiting that outcome. The law allows employees to report these matters — they should report any suspicions of nepotism or irregular processes that occur.” Pikitup referred theMail & Guardianto the City of Johannesburg for comment.
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Ward 99 Democratic Alliance councillor Hendrik Bodenstein said refuse had not been collected in many areas for close to two weeks, despite the official shutdown lasting seven days. “They skipped a week, so for many residents the last time trash was collected was two weeks ago,” he said, adding that a recovery plan was now under way, with collections resuming in phases according to the Randburg depot’s usual routes. “They started with areas serviced on Wednesdays, then they’ll move to Thursday routes and Friday routes.
They will probably work throughout the weekend to catch up,” Bodenstein said. He described the dispute as “confusing”, with workers and management offering conflicting explanations.
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