Industry braces for mass protest backlash

As South Africa prepares
for what the South African
Municipal Workers’ Union,
Samwu, says is likely to be
the biggest mass protest the
country has seen in a decade
or more on March 7, business
has begun to express concern
over the continued industrial
action in the country.
While President Jacob Zuma
committed government to a
country-wide infrastructure
upgrade during his State of the
Nation address in Parliament
last week, concern over
the impact of strikes on the
economy is rising.
Fanie Pretorius, chairman
of the South African Shippers’
Council, this week said cargo
owners were increasingly
concerned about the impact of
labour disputes and action on
the economy.
“South Africa can ill
afford the strikes and labour
action that we are having to
deal with,” he said. “South
Africa is competing in a
global marketplace and we are
competing with the Chinas of
this world. With the logistics
cost already much higher than
the rest of the world, we cannot
afford this continued labour
action on various fronts.”
He said the Shippers’
Council had already sent a
letter to Transnet CEO, Brian
Molefe, raising its concern
over industrial action.
The Durban container
terminal ground to a near
stop earlier this month due
to strikes and an ongoing
go-slow, and now the country
is set to be rocked again on
March 7 when Cosatu intends
to protest over e-tolling and the
use of labour brokers.
“This protest action will set
a precedent in terms of mass
action. The working class and
poor of this country will no
longer sit back and be taken
for granted,” said spokesman
Tahir Sema.
“Apart from scrapping the
toll road projects, government
must investigate who was
responsible for steam-rollering
these projects past all the
relevant processes.”