Inhlangano i-MATUSA ishiye injabulo imemezela kubasebenzi be-EPWP baseThekwini abangu- 879 abaxoshwa ngendlela engacacanga bekuhlangenwe mhlaka-10 December 2025, endaweni Botha eThekwini lapho kwethulwe impumelelo ngecala elalifakwe ababe sebenza kwamaspala ngaphansi kohlelo lwama EPWP. Ukulwela ukuphepha kwemisebenzi kubahleli bezinhlelo zokuqashwa komphakathi eNingizimu Afrika kufinyelele eqophelweni lomlando ngemuva kokuthi abasebenzi abangu-879 be-Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) kuMasipala waseThekwini bamenyezelwe ngokusemthethweni njengezisebenzi ezihlala njalo esinqumweni sokwahlulela esibalulekile esakhishwa ngomhlaka-9 December 2025. Lo mphumela oqondile, oqinisekiswe yi-Municipal and Allied Trade Union of South Africa (MATUSA), uphawule okubaluleke kakhulu kwezomthetho kwabasebenzi ababesengozini eminyakeni edlule lesi sinqumo, esenziwe ngaphansi kweSigaba 198B(5) soMthetho Wezobudlelwano bezabasebenzi,
Asiyaleli nje kuphela ukuthi abasebenzi babuyiselwe emsebenzini ngokushesha kodwa futhi siphoqelela umasipala ukuthi ukhokhe imali elinganiselwa ku-R190 million njengenkokhelo yangemuva, sivuma iminyaka yokungavikeleki kwemisebenzi okungekho emthethweni kanye nokuvuselelwa kwenkontileka okungaguquki okwashiya imindeni ingajabule ngemali engenayo. Impikiswano iqale ngo-October 2022, lapho abasebenzi be-EPWP bephonsela inselelo idolobha, bethi imisebenzi yabo yansuku zonke ehlanganisa ukuphathwa kwemfucuza, izinsizakalo zomphakathi, ukwesekwa kwengqalasizinda kanye nemisebenzi yokulungisa ebalulekile empeleni yayiyimisebenzi kamasipala ehlala njalo efihliwe ngaphansi kwezinkontileka zesikhashana. Ingxabano yanda ngoJuly 2024 lapho umasipala exosha abasebenzi, kwabangela intukuthelo kuzo zonke izinhlaka zabasebenzi futhi kwabangela iMATUSA ukuthi ifake esinye isimangalo sokuxoshwa okungafanele. Lezi zindaba zahlanganiswa zaba yicala elilodwa elimelelwe nguchwepheshe wezomthetho wezabasebenzi uBongani Mgaga weGarlicke & Bousfield Inc., kanye nommeli omele ukhetho uSenzo Zikalala.
I-MATUSA ichaze lesi sinqumo njengesinqumo esithathe isikhathi eside somasipala abathembele kakhulu kubasebenzi be-EPWP ngenkathi begwema izibopho zokuhlinzeka ngamaholo afanele, izinzuzo kanye nokuvikeleka kwemisebenzi. Inyunyana ithe izinhlelo ze-EPWP ekuqaleni ezazihloselwe ukungenelela kokunciphisa ubumpofu okwesikhashana ziye zasetshenziswa kabi ngokwezepolitiki “Lokhu akulona nje ukunqoba kwabasebenzi abangu-879; kungukunqoba kwabo bonke abantu baseNingizimu Afrika abaqhubeka nokuxhashazwa ngaphansi kwezinhlelo zokuqashwa komphakathi,” kusho uMATUSA esitatimendeni, ecela ukuphela “kokuphathwa kabi kwezepolitiki kwabasebenzi be-EPWP ngezikhathi zokhetho kanye nezinhlelo zomphakathi.”
