NEHAWU shuts down TVET colleges in Pietermaritzburg
Colleges have been closed since Thursday
Four TVET colleges in Pietermaritzburg have been shut down by the continuing NEHAWU strike. On Monday, members of NEHAWU protested outside the Msunduzi and Midlands TVET Colleges. About 50 protesters started the protest at the Msunduzi campus, stopping students from entering the gates, before moving to the neighbouring Midlands campus.
The national strike was launched on Wednesday last week. The strike has seen Northdale, Edendale, Plessislaer and Central Office TVET colleges shut down since Thursday.
Last Friday workers protested outside Msunduzi campus. NEHAWU Regional Secretary Zimasile Giyama was arrested. He appeared in court on Monday and a case of public violence was withdrawn.
Workers’ demands include full time employment for contract workers. People GroundUp spoke to complained about the part-time wage rate, and also being moved between campuses without any notice period.
Giyama said, “We have nine of our members shot by the police on Friday. They were not engaged in any violence. It was a peaceful strike. Workers are fighting for their rights … What the workers do is march to every campus ensuring that no one is working.”
GroundUp made several attempts to get comment from college management, but neither our phone calls nor email have been responded to.
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