Video Shows Protesting SAMWU Female Worker Violently Shoving Johannesburg Motorist, Scenes Stump SA

Video Shows Protesting SAMWU Female Worker Violently Shoving Johannesburg Motorist, Scenes Stump SA

  • A video circulating online shows a SAMWU female worker violently pushing and prodding a male motorist
  • The scenes came as the union-affiliated municipal employees broke out in a wage protest in Johannesburg
  • Online users reacted to the material of the woman provoking the man, with many calling out her behaviour
Protesting SAMWU worker provokes Johannesburg motorist in violent altercation
A video has surfaced showing a protesting SAMWU female worker violently confronting a male motorist during a wage strike in Johannesburg. Image: Luca Sola
Source: Getty Images

JOHANNESBURG — Protesting South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) members brought parts of Johannesburg to a standstill on Thursday.

The chaotic scenes saw thousands of protesters descend on a major highway, disrupting traffic and forcing travelling motorists into a jam.

SAMWU workers flock Johannesburg motorist

City of Johannesburg employees affiliated with SAMWU blockaded the M1 and M2 highways in Braamfontein and the Johannesburg city centre in both directions.

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It is understood that their demonstration was sparked by a wage dispute following collapsed talks.

In a video shared by @Abramjee, a perturbed motorist confronts a small group of workers to negotiate their way out of the impasse.

The 46-second material initially captures him and two protestors, a man and a woman in SAMWU T-shirts, engaged in a heated squabble.

Soon, two others rush to their side, berating and violently shoving their fingers in his face, except for one other woman, who tries in vain to diffuse the situation.

The protestors can be seen with alcoholic beverages in hand.

Another motorist filmed the spat, which is mostly unintelligible. However, loud ranting can be heard, and the parties appear visibly agitated.

The woman, who shouts "angeke (never)… we don't care" and "voetsek", can also be seen forcefully prodding and hitting the motorist's chest several times, escalating the provocation.

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However, the confrontation ends before the parties come to blows, and the man stomps off as the clip ends.

The material garnered almost 465,000 views over six hours after posting.

Violent scenes stump Mzansi

Locals lamented the violent scenes and slammed the belligerence and insensitiveness shown towards motorists.

Coupled with this, the proverbial race card was drawn into the fray.

Briefly News looks at the charged responses.

@Mbhape1 wrote:

“Imagine if was a white woman doing that to a black man. Sometimes racism is exaggerated only when it favours blacks.”

@Makopaanoo said:

“I'll have what that white guy had for breakfast. He is brave! But that lady shouldn't be touching him like [that] too.”

@Kamo96BucsBABY added:

“That woman is brave, yoh. I can't even back-chat other females.”

@mqhelenqabankos noted:

“That poor lady wouldn’t do all that poking if she was alone. Notice how the men are touching the guy. She knows exactly what she’s doing. As soon as sh*t hits the fan, she won’t do the fighting, the men behind her will.”

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EF leader killed in service delivery protest

In related news, Briefly News reported that an Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) deputy secretary was killed in a police crossfire during a protest in Alexandra township.

The party's regional leader, Moshe Mphahlele, reportedly died after being struck by a police bullet aimed at dispersing a disgruntled crowd that had gathered.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Tshepiso Mametela avatar

Tshepiso Mametela Tshepiso Mametela is a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience writing for online and print publications. He is an evening/weekend editor at Briefly News. He was a general news reporter for The Herald, a senior sports contributor at Opera News SA, and a reporter for Caxton Local Media’s Bedfordview and Edenvale News and Joburg East Express community titles. He has attended media workshops, including the crime and court reporting one by the Wits Justice Project and Wits Centre for Journalism in 2024. He was a member of the Forum of Community Journalists (FCJ) from 2018 to 2020.