The Mamelodi Municipal offices were apparently burnt down by angry out-of- work labourers on Tuesday morning.
It is widely believed that they did this in demand to be redeployed by the City of Tshwane again, as they have been working for the Tshwane Metro for a long time as casual labourers, but lost their jobs when the waste removal contract for which they were working for was terminated late last month by Mayor Cilliers Brink.
The out-of- work labourers had been pleading with the City of Tshwane to give them their jobs back for some time now and up until now they have been protesting peacefully to be reinstated to their positions by the Tshwane Metro.
Since being terminated from their jobs, the out-of- labourers used to meet just outside the Mamelodi Municipal offices (Mini Munitoria) asking to be hired again even if it were in alternative jobs to the ones they had been doing.
But the City of Tshwane made it clear last month that there was nothing it could regarding the plight of the out-of- work labourers, this as it had originally entered into a waste removal contract with the company that had hired them as labourers and nit directly with them.
The Employment and Labour Centre section of the Municipal offices are the ones which were gutted with petrol bomb, allegedly by the angry and violent out-of- work protesters, including the council chamber, customers care and other offices.
Speaking to an eyewitness who refused to be named told the Tshwane Talks that at around 10am more than 60 people stormed the offices carrying petrol bomb, rocks, tyres and started to throwed them at offices and throwed them at staff and customers.
“It took them less than 30 minutes to burn the place and to cause chaos at the office and left as if nothing was happening.
After they went outside and stone a vehicle belonging to City of Tshwane,” said anonymous.
Anonymous said people were running away left, right and Centre trying to hide but petrol bombs were thrown left, right and Centre.
Labour spokesperson Mishack Magakwe strongly condemned the bombing incident, stressing that though people have a right to protest, they don’t have the right to use violence.
Magakwe also pointed out that those who are in strike action don’t have the right to coerce other people to join the strike by force.
His media statement didn’t give much detail as to why the offices of the Labour and Employment Centre were targeted by the protesters.
He announced that the burnt down offices would remain closed temporarily under further notice, this as the department didn’t want to put the lives of its workers at risk.