Tax payer's money was being wasted on private lawyers appointed to handle internal disputes within the Steve Tshwete municipality when municipal lawyers are available, Samwu said on Thursday.

"Private lawyers are being used to prosecute our members when the municipality has qualified legal practitioners in its employ... trained to handle dispute resolution," said the South African Municipal Workers Union in a statement.

"All this is happening after the municipality claimed it doesn't have funds to serve the semi-formal community of Avalon [in Mpumalanga]. We will endeavour to oppose such blatant waste of taxpayers' money" it said.

The union believed outside lawyers being appointed by the municipality were being appointed because of their relationships with council management.

Samwu members being prosecuted had engaged in a no work, no payindustrial action over salary increments and the municipality has now charged them for "intimidating fellow employees and trashing the town [Middleburg]", said union organiser Kgosi Makwati.

"Ten of our members were charged for strike-related activities. In most of these charges, the municipality doesn't have jurisdiction... like the intimidation issue because they allege it happened in the township, outside of working hours," said Makwati.

He said municipal actions were against principles of the South African Local Government Bargaining Council.

"They have deducted the money for the no work, no pay policy so why are they charging the workers?," asked Makwati.

Municipal spokeswoman Prudence Leshilo was not immediately available for comment.