SIBASA – The cleaning of Sibasa came to a halt on Monday, when volunteer workers of the Thulamela Municipality started to protest against alleged nepotism and corruption in the municipality.

The volunteers are serving under the environmental section of the Thulamela Municipality. "When we started with our job of cleaning the town as volunteers of the Letsima Programme, we were told that we would be absorbed permanently when vacancies existed," they said.

"The Thulamela Municipality has issued a circular, showing that we are supposed to be absorbed into permanent positions when vacancies exist, but the Municipality is practising nepotism and corruption when filling posts," said the angry volunteers.

"When the vacancies exist, the municipality has employed relatives, friends and brothers in the vacancies that should be occupied by us as the volunteers," they said. "There are many new faces in the Thulamela Municipality and when we investigate, we find out that many are relatives of the officials in the municipality," add the volunteers.

According to a spokesperson for the volunteers, they have contacted Mr Makonde Mathivha, the Municipal Manager, for clarity "and he referred us to Cllr Lufuno Mudzanani, who told us that our plight would be heard," they ads.

The volunteers said that they where told to start with a new project of digging up the graves in the community by Cllr Lufuno Mudzanani.

"We were also referred to the Vhembe Municipal Manager, Mr Shandukani Mulovhedzi, who tried his best, until he told us that the people who are supposed to sit down and discuss this matter are not available. Mulovhedzi told us that he will contact the Local Government Department for help, and still nothing has changed," said the volunteers. "Our strike will continue and we will disturb many things in the town."

The volunteers have started working on May 2, 2002.

Thulamela Municipality spokesperson, Ndwamato Tshiila, said that the municipality was not aware of the strike and is not in possession of any memorandum with grievances.