WATCH | Municipal workers barricade Joburg highway, hold city manager 'against his will'

• The busy M1 in Johannesburg has been barricaded by municipal workers. 
• The City claims protesters are holding the acting city manager against his will.
• The strike is over the politically facilitated agreement, meant to regularise payments between staff. 

Johannesburg motorists should avoid the M1 in both directions if they do not want to get stuck in traffic for the rest of the day. 

City of Johannesburg workers are on strike under the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) banner, and not only have they barricaded the busy highway, but the City claimed workers were also holding acting city manager Bryne Maduka against his will. 

The strike is over implementing an agreement, called the politically facilitated agreement, with the City and the municipal employers meant to regularise payments between staff.

Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Xolani Fihla said protesters blocked off the freeway after they marched to the Metro Centre in Braamfontein to address wage issues. 

Samwu's provincial secretary, Mpho Tladinyane, said the city manager was not being held against his will, but he was with them on the M1.

"The JMPD and the police are here, and they spoke to him, and he's here as our employer - not against his will."

Tladinyane said the group first met at Library Gardens in Newtown but decided to go to the Metro Centre to look for answers.

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Maduka met the marchers at the offices.

"We were told that the city manager can't help. Only the principals could," Tladinyane said  

"We called the mayor, and she said she was half an hour away and coming to the office. The workers waited for three, four hours and then decided we would meet her on the freeway."

Executive Mayor Mpho Phalatse's spokesperson, Mabine Seabe, said the mayor had dispatched a team to meet with the protesters at the head office. 

He said Maduka was being held against his will by the protesters. 

"It's concerning that they are engaged in illegal acts on the freeway and holding the city manager against his will." 

Fihla said the situation was calm now, but motorists were frustrated.

"Officers have been deployed and motorists are urged to avoid the M1 in both directions heading towards Smit Street and to use Carr Street on the M1 north and Empire Road on the M1 south as alternative routes."