HUNDREDS of Ace Parking workers protested outside mayor Herman Mashaba’s offices yesterday.
They want the City of Joburg to hire them directly rather than outsourcing their work, and told Daily Sun their employer’s contract expired in December.
“We didn’t know what we were supposed to do,” said strike leader Magdeline Mabusela (37).
She said last month their equipment was confiscated and Metro cops chased them away.
“For every R100 paid for parking, I used to get R20. The little I got was all I had to support my family with.”
Mametlwe Sebei from the Workers and Socialist Party said: “If the municipality doesn’t consider doing this, families will go hungry and we will blame Mashaba. He’s supposed to be the father of the city.”
Parking company spokesman Ferdinand Ndi said they were aware of the protest but weren’t sure what it was about.
“We are trying to negotiate an extension of our contract. We don’t know why our employees have marched to the mayor’s office.”
Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said cops were monitoring the situation.
Numerous attempts to get hold of the mayor’s office failed.