Samwu hopes to end Pretoria bus strike soon, but havoc continues

The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) says it hopes to resolve a pay dispute with the city of Tshwane on Tuesday, as buses continue to block roads and cause havoc in the Pretoria CBD.

Samwu's greater Tshwane region branch secretary Mpho Tladinyane told TimesLIVE on Tuesday that about 4,000 workers took part in the strike, which reduced travelling speeds to a snail's pace on Monday. 

Samwu members gathered outside Tshwane House on Tuesday, waiting for the city's decision.

“They have secured a mediator at the bargaining council to try to resolve this [dispute] and other issues. We are hoping by the end of today [Tuesday] we’ll have covered a lot of ground,” said Tladinyane.

“The executive mayor convened his team [on Monday] to have some discussions, but they could not finalise some of the things.”

Samwu members are demanding 18% pay hikes, which some senior city managers are said to have received.

The city suspended A Re Yeng and Tshwane bus services on Monday.

Tshwane roads and transport MMC Sheila Senkubuge said on Monday: “This is just opportunistic behaviour. The illegal movements of city property, vandalism and actions that disrupt service delivery will not be tolerated. Everyone involved will face disciplinary action.”