02/09/2026
2 September 2026
SAMWU CONGRATULATES CDE P**E SHAYI ON HIS APPOINTMENT AS LIMPOPO CoGHSTA MEC
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) in Limpopo Province congratulates Cde P**e Shayi on his appointment as the Limpopo Member of the Executive Council for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs.
Cde Shayi is no stranger to local government. He previously served as Mayor of Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality and Executive Mayor of Mopani District Municipality. He also served as the Limpopo Provincial Chairperson of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and as a member of the SALGA National Executive Committee.
Cde Shayi is equally no stranger to the labour movement. He previously served as a SAMWU Regional Secretary, where he demonstrated his commitment to advancing and defending the rights and interests of municipal workers.
As SAMWU, we hope that Cde Shayi will bring the experience he has accumulated in the labour movement, municipalities and organised local government to this important portfolio. His appointment comes at a critical time when municipalities throughout Limpopo face serious financial, governance, labour-relations and service-delivery challenges.
Our 13th National Congress reaffirmed SAMWU’s commitment to strong, properly funded and fully capacitated municipalities, the defence of collective bargaining and the fight against outsourcing, tenderisation and the excessive use of consultants. These resolutions guide the Union’s own programme of action.
In celebrating Cde Shayi’s appointment, SAMWU calls on him to hit the ground running and attend urgently to the issues affecting workers throughout the province.
In particular, we call on the MEC to put an end to the undesirable practice adopted by municipalities of using external lawyers to prosecute and preside over internal disciplinary matters. This practice is a travesty of workplace justice and a blatant waste of scarce municipal resources that should be directed towards service delivery.
We further implore Cde Shayi to rein in municipalities that have made union-bashing fashionable, particularly Thabazimbi Local Municipality and Mogalakwena Local Municipality. Workers must be free to exercise their constitutional rights to join and participate in trade unions without intimidation, victimisation or retaliation. We expect the MEC to promote sound labour relations not only in these municipalities but throughout the province.
The Union has also noted with serious concern that sexual harassment is rearing its ugly head in Limpopo municipalities, with cases reported in Sekhukhune and Thabazimbi. We call on Cde Shayi to champion the protection of workers, particularly women and other vulnerable workers, and to ensure that municipalities provide workplaces that are safe, dignified and free from harassment and discrimination.
Additionally, we call on Cde Shayi and the Limpopo Provincial Government to intervene in the grading of municipalities. In some municipalities, municipal councils have adopted higher grades but implemented the financial benefits only for councillors and senior management, while excluding the workers responsible for the core business of municipalities—service delivery. This unfair and selective implementation must be brought to an end.
SAMWU stands ready to meet with Cde Shayi to discuss these and other challenges affecting municipalities and municipal workers in the province. We are prepared to work with his Department to identify areas of cooperation and develop programmes through which organised labour and government can jointly advance the interests of workers, improve service delivery and strengthen the communities served by our municipalities.
SAMWU wishes Cde Shayi well in his new responsibilities. We look forward to working with him to strengthen municipalities, improve labour relations and advance the interests of municipal workers and the people of Limpopo.
Issued by SAMWU Limpopo Province
Patrick Aphane
Provincial Secretary
076 785 9022
