Deputy mayor apologises for rubbish not being collected in Joburg

Loyiso Masuku said the City of Joburg never agreed to absorb the casual workers as permanent employees

Johannesburg's deputy mayor, Loyiso Masuku, has apologized to residents for the city's streets being filled with rubbish for over a week. This issue arose after 300 contract workers went on strike, disrupting Pikitup's operations. The workers were demanding permanent jobs instead of being hired as casual employees. The situation became so severe that the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department had to assist Pikitup in resuming refuse collection.

Deputy mayor Masuku confirmed that the police will continue monitoring dumping sites and Pikitup depots to ensure service continuity. As of today, 11 out of 12 Pikitup depots are operational, and the company will work throughout the weekend to clear the backlog. Masuku urged the striking workers to allow Pikitup to continue collecting waste.

Contract workers, who are hired by Pikitup's service providers, are not employees of the City of Johannesburg. Masuku emphasized that the city needs proof of any promises made to the contract workers regarding permanent jobs.

Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.