Nelson Mandela Bay municipal workers protested in Kariega on Wednesday, demanding better security at the Cuyler depot.
Dozens of Nelson Mandela Bay municipal workers blocked the busy Cuyler Street in Kariega on Wednesday with burning tyres and other rubble. They are demanding the municipality take urgent steps to increase security to stop the spate of break-ins and theft at the depot in recent months.
As a result of the equipment theft, the workers say they are unable to fix water leaks and sewerage faults in communities. In October last year, at least five municipal trucks and vehicles were stripped of their batteries and cables.
Workers say criminals armed with guns and knives often enter the depot.
The protest was led by members of the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU). Protesters also shut down the driving test centre, fire depot and human settlements directorate office on the same street as the depot.
According to a senior municipal worker, the estimated cost of all the damage and theft at the depot in recent months is about R5-million. He added that the damage to one of the stripped municipal trucks alone was about R2-million.
Other items recently stolen from include refrigerators, welding machines, and a tar compacting machine.
When GroundUp visited the fleet management site where vehicles are repaired, the roofs, windows and doors were broken and computers had been stolen. About five bakkies in the yard had their cables stolen.
SAMWU shop steward Zukisa Jeyi said they have been raising their concerns since July 2025 but to no avail. After the workers protested last year, the union and municipal management set up a committee to deal with the issues. “But the committee collapsed in September after management had failed to honour our meetings,” he said.
Most of the workers GroundUp spoke to said they also had to relieve themselves in the bush behind the depot because the plumbing in the toilets was stolen and never repaired.
Acting Chief Operating Officer, Nkosana Dunjana, and acting safety and security director, Shadrack Sibiya, addressed the protesters on Wednesday.
Sibiya said the municipality was aware of the vandalism at the depots in Despatch and Cuyler. “If we bring extra security, we will need an internal service order to pay them because we don’t want to hire guards while we don’t have a budget.”
Sibiya said they could not divulge their strategies to beef up security in the interim.
Dunjana said management would meet on Friday and report back to workers next week.
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