ANGRY residents of Umlazi, south of Durban, want the eThekwini municipality to find a permanent solution with refuse collection contractors.
Rubbish has not been collected for two weeks in the area.
This follows another strike.
Workers have downed tools over pay, claiming they have not been paid their April salaries.
One of the workers told Daily Sun: “We were not paid in April. Our bosses told us that it was not their fault.
“They said the municipality failed to deposit the money to pay us.”
Sikhulu Dlamini (40) from R section said this has been an ongoing issue.
“The municipality must solve this problem once and for all.
“We demand a permanent solution between the municipality and contractors,” said Sikhulu.
“This problem is affecting us. This happens almost every three months.
“Accumulating piles of rubbish left uncollected comes with potential health risks. Our children are exposed to germs.”
Sfiso Cele of Umlazi Business Forum also blamed the municipality.
“The municipality is to blame because it didn’t deposit the money so that the contractors can pay workers. As contractors we can’t force our staff to go to work if they have not been paid,” said Cele.
Municipality’s acting head of communications, Mandla Nsele, apologised to the residents for the inconvenience caused.
“The strike was caused by a misunderstanding between the city and the contractor. The misunderstanding has been sorted out,” said Nsele in a statement.
