Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of striking municipal workers who went on the rampage in the Johannesburg city centre on Thursday.
Police action came as the strikers advanced on the Johannesburg Civic Centre in a march authorities said was illegal. Many of the workers were carrying sticks and knobkieries.
As tear-gas cannisters and rubber bullets pumped through the air, protesters fled down Rissik Street into the central business district, hotly pursued by uniformed police.
A South African Press Association (Sapa) reporter on the scene saw some strikers run into office blocks where they were cornered by police. Sapa’s reporter saw at least five arrests.
Some elderly strikers nabbed by police officers were lectured and then told to go home.
Earlier, strikers started emptying rubbish bags on to the streets before heading to the civic centre to demand a meeting with the mayor, Amos Masondo.
South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) secretary general Roger Ronnie said it is impossible to tell workers not to trash the streets.
”Workers are very angry. It is impossible for leaders to tell the workers not to trash the streets,” he said.
A Sapa reporter at the scene earlier said about 600 municipal workers, who had gathered at Gandhi Square, were emptying municipal rubbish bags on the streets.
They were being watched by a large group of police officers.
The workers were walking in separate groups to the Civic Centre to demand a meeting with Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo.
Earlier, 70 striking municipal workers were arrested in Johannesburg when they gathered for the protest, which the authorities say is not legal.
The arrests were confirmed by police spokesperson Mary Martins-Engelbrecht.
On Wednesday, the first day of a three-day municipal strike across the country, Johannesburg was hard hit with some protesters running riot in the city streets during a march metro officials also said was illegal.
Rubbish was tossed in front of traffic, a homeless man was assaulted and street vendors were harassed after an illegal march through the city.
Stranded bus passengers queued at taxi ranks and home-owners were advised not to put out their rubbish until the strike was over.
Cape Town and Durban also saw striking workers marching for better wages, but the cities were largely unaffected. Only minor disturbances were reported.
The action follows a deadlock in wage negotiations between the South African Local Government Association (Salga) and two staff bodies — Samwu and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union.
The unions are demanding a wage increase of the greater of 9% or R400, and a new monthly minimum wage of R3 000. Salga is offering 6%. — Sapa