Johannesburg - The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) yesterday forced the Greater Johannesburg Council to put a halt to its iGoli 2002 restructuring plan for the city until fresh talks were held on Thursday.
The Gauteng department of local government said: ``The agreement is that the continued implementation of iGoli 2002 is immediately suspended pending negotiations by the parties within the bargaining council on service delivery options to be engaged.``
Mavi Panyane, its spokesman, said: ``All restructuring processes will have to be done in accordance with the provisions of the systems bill agreed to by all parties.``
Panyane said the MEC for local government also ``assured workers that all restructuring and transformation processes will be done in accordance with the Municipal Systems Bill and the Municipal Structures Act``.
But in a new twist, Samwu said it had been alarmed to learn that Trevor Manuel, the finance minister, was going to give R550 million to the council on condition ``the iGoli 2002 plan go ahead``.
``The massive grant dished out by Manuel makes a mockery of the promise of a moratorium on the implementation of iGoli 2002.
``The unilateral actions of Ketso Gordhan (the city manager), who is hellbent on implementing the iGoli 2002 plan, are clearly being driven by central government policies,`` the union said.
Only after they had received written undertakings did the 70 leaders from the Cosatu-affiliated Samwu and the Independent Municipal Association of Trade Unions, the Fedusa affiliate, agree yesterday to vacate the offices of Gordhan and Kenny Fihla, the Transformation Legotla chairman, after a 24-hour sit-in.
The South African Communist Party and shop stewards from Nehawu joined the sit-in until the council capitulated at 7.30am.