Staff anxiety in Tshwane, Johannesburg metros

AS THE negotiations for coalition governments continue, municipal employees in Tshwane and Johannesburg are depressed about the possibility of losing their jobs.

While a DA takeover in Tshwane is definite after the party won more votes than the ANC, a DA takeover in Johannesburg also looks likely because the possibility of a DA/EFF coalition looms large.

Staff members expressed fear for the new era. Some of the City of Johannesburg employees in the mayor’s office and the legislature said yesterday that they were gravely concerned about the future, having had no concrete news about a coalition.

“We are reporting for work every day, but there is a lot of uncertainty.

“There is also no word from our bosse; it’s worse that they also seem uncertain about their future,” said an employee in the mayor’s office.

The DA mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba, said that while he would not purge employees willy-nilly, he warned that there would be a shake-up in the metro.

In Tshwane, staff members in the metro said they feared they might be kicked out of their jobs by the DA under mayor-elect Solly Msimanga. Others, including the city’s spokesman Selby Bokaba, took to social media to express their frustrations.

Bokaba likened the mood at the Isivuno House municipal headquarters to a funeral, saying it was very quiet. He posted on his Facebook page: “Mo tirong go didimetse, ekete re mo phitlhong (The workplace is very quiet, it feels like a funeral).”