Striking workers hold Rehoboth hostage
"A strike is a strike... I would not call it sabotage." This is what Lesley Mosegedi, spokesperson of the nearly 90 striking workers of the Rehoboth town council, had to say yesterday in response to accusations that they were deliberately taking steps to prevent water and electricity supply to certain neighbourhoods in the town.
According to further claims, the strike makes it impossible for at least 40% of the town's 60 000 residents - who pay for water in advance - to gain access to the service.
Justin Coetzee, one of the town's seven councillors, told Namibian Sun’s sister publication Republikein that the striking workers were holding the town hostage and sabotaging service delivery.
He said the Block F area was without water and after it was turned back on, the strikers cut it again.
"It is finally on thanks to community intervention, but the strikers are preventing the switching on of the electricity supply to Block C and Block D.
“The workers do not want to hand over the key we need to turn on the power again," he said.
The Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu) members of the Rehoboth town council have been on strike since Wednesday, 29 June, after the ministry of urban and rural development denied a 4% salary increase they are demanding.
The increase was already approved by the town council’s management committee at the end of last year, but minister Erastus Uutoni instructed - in writing on 16 June - that none of the 58 local authorities may grant increases this year.
This due to the large sums of money local authorities owe national electricity and water suppliers, NamPower and NamWater.
According to Coetzee, Rehoboth's town council owes N$150 million to NamPower and N$30 million to NamWater.
UPM takes aim at European holidays
Meanwhile, the United People's Movement’s (UPM) Jan van Wyk said the party was concerned about the situation and condemned the fact that the line ministry did not intervene in time and resolve the dispute before it went to strike and inconvenienced the town's residents.
In a statement, UPM also criticised mayor Enrico ‘Toes’ Junias' visit to Turkey and councillors Amanda Groenewald and Joey Hammerslaght’s European holiday while Rehoboth burns like the proverbial Rome.
Junias, who was back in office yesterday, hit back at Van Wyk in a post on Facebook and said his overseas visit "to raise money for the town" had already been arranged a month ago - when there were still no talks of a strike.
In a telephonic interview yesterday afternoon, he said he had been in talks with Uutoni in the meantime, who made it clear that the ministry would not grant the increase, even though it had been approved by the management committee.
"We have reached a stalemate and I am negotiating with the strikers on the delivery of services. There are residents who have not had water since last Wednesday and we cannot allow it.”
Junias said the strikers cannot use residents' right to services as a bargaining chip.
Mosegedi meanwhile maintained that the ministry cannot reject the increase, as it is for the 2021-22 financial year and the minister only put a stop to increases in June.
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According to further claims, the strike makes it impossible for at least 40% of the town's 60 000 residents - who pay for water in advance - to gain access to the service.
Justin Coetzee, one of the town's seven councillors, told Namibian Sun’s sister publication Republikein that the striking workers were holding the town hostage and sabotaging service delivery.
He said the Block F area was without water and after it was turned back on, the strikers cut it again.
"It is finally on thanks to community intervention, but the strikers are preventing the switching on of the electricity supply to Block C and Block D.
“The workers do not want to hand over the key we need to turn on the power again," he said.
The Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu) members of the Rehoboth town council have been on strike since Wednesday, 29 June, after the ministry of urban and rural development denied a 4% salary increase they are demanding.
The increase was already approved by the town council’s management committee at the end of last year, but minister Erastus Uutoni instructed - in writing on 16 June - that none of the 58 local authorities may grant increases this year.
This due to the large sums of money local authorities owe national electricity and water suppliers, NamPower and NamWater.
According to Coetzee, Rehoboth's town council owes N$150 million to NamPower and N$30 million to NamWater.
UPM takes aim at European holidays
Meanwhile, the United People's Movement’s (UPM) Jan van Wyk said the party was concerned about the situation and condemned the fact that the line ministry did not intervene in time and resolve the dispute before it went to strike and inconvenienced the town's residents.
In a statement, UPM also criticised mayor Enrico ‘Toes’ Junias' visit to Turkey and councillors Amanda Groenewald and Joey Hammerslaght’s European holiday while Rehoboth burns like the proverbial Rome.
Junias, who was back in office yesterday, hit back at Van Wyk in a post on Facebook and said his overseas visit "to raise money for the town" had already been arranged a month ago - when there were still no talks of a strike.
In a telephonic interview yesterday afternoon, he said he had been in talks with Uutoni in the meantime, who made it clear that the ministry would not grant the increase, even though it had been approved by the management committee.
"We have reached a stalemate and I am negotiating with the strikers on the delivery of services. There are residents who have not had water since last Wednesday and we cannot allow it.”
Junias said the strikers cannot use residents' right to services as a bargaining chip.
Mosegedi meanwhile maintained that the ministry cannot reject the increase, as it is for the 2021-22 financial year and the minister only put a stop to increases in June.
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