R2K Whistleblowers 2014: Workers of SAMWU

“Workers are concerned about the department and would want for Pikitup to be free from corruption and nepotism.” – SAMWU statement

In August 2013, a joint investigation by the Sunday Times and Corruption Watch found that Pikitup had commissioned a R6-million investigation into alleged tender-rigging – and then stopped the investigation before it could be completed. The state-owned waste management company had hired auditors from EY to investigate 11 of its contracts, worth nearly R366-million; the auditors’ draft report found irregularities in all but one of them, and implicated top officials in Pikitup.

The very fact that there was an investigation at all is due to the collective efforts of Pikitup workers, represented by the South African Municipal Workers’ Union. In 2011, workers went on strike demanding an investigation into dodgy contracts, claiming that hundreds of millions of rands were being lost to corrupt tenders. Essentially, the company’s own workers blew the whistle on its tender irregularities and forced their employers to take action.

Though Pikitup management agreed to commission the audit, it was more than two years after workers went on strike before the draft report was uncovered, and its findings appear to vindicate all claims made by SAMWU members. Although Pikitup has repeatedly promised that the final report would be made available to SAMWU’s members, this has yet to happen.

Keep reading: Corruption Watch, ‘Audit finds dirty deals at Pikitup’

The workers of SAMWU are featured in R2K’s 2014 Whistleblower Calendar. Find out more.