The South African Police Service (SAPS) arrested 20 striking Jozi@Work contract workers responsible for disrupting Pikitup services through vandalism and intimidation.

Pikitup and its workers, contracted through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), have not been able to collect waste in Alexandra since Monday 29 January 2018, due to violent protest action by previous Jozi@Work workers whose temporary contracts expired in December 2017

Nico de Jager, MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, held a meeting with the MMC for Public Safety Michael Sun, Chief of Johannesburg Metro Police Department, David Tembe, COO of Pikitup, Christa Venter, members of the SAPS, managers of City entities as well as representatives from Alexandra and surrounds to discuss how Pikitup could resume its services.

During the meeting, JMPD officers and SAPS were instructed to enforce the law and arrest anyone found guilty of vandalising City property or intimidating workers.

“Our law enforcement agencies cannot and will not become complicit bystanders while the destructive behaviour of a few cause chaos,”De Jager said.

Pikitup has resumed with service delivery with the assistance of JMPD and SAPS. The waste group has also successfully applied for an interdict against the protestors to protect their infrastructure and staff.

“We will not be held ransom by lies and hooliganism of a few at the expense of thousands,” De Jager.