WATCH | Samwu pickets over vehicle surveillance devices

Msunduzi municipal workers took to the streets on Monday in protest against the installation of recording devices in municipal vehicles. Members of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) picketed outside Pietermaritzburg City Hall, voicing their opposition to the move. The union argues that the municipality’s decision to install electronic monitoring devices is a misplaced priority at a time when critical service delivery tools are lacking.

According to Samwu, the funds allocated for these gadgets should instead be directed toward procuring additional traffic vehicles and essential tools of trade. Samwu local secretary Brandon George said traffic officers are being forced to enforce road regulations using unroadworthy vehicles, raising serious safety concerns. “When they decided on these gadget installations, they never consulted us.

How much have they spent on these gadgets? Surely our safety in the workplace is also important,” said George. The union maintains that worker safety and adequate resourcing should take precedence over surveillance measures, and has called on the municipality to engage in meaningful consultation before implementing such projects.