The Transnet strike has severely affected Metrorail in the West Rand — most seriously in Soweto — an official said on Monday.
”We are not able to run a service, even with our contingency plan on the Soweto line,” said Thandi Mlangeni, Metrorail’s spokesperson.
”We are hoping that things will improve” later in the day, she said, adding that in Tshwane ”we are able to run some service”.
Transnet spokesperson John Dludlu and Randall Howard, the general secretary of the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu), one of the unions taking part in the strike, said they were still compiling information on the strike’s impact.
Transnet workers who are members of Satawu, the United Association of SA (Uasa), the SA Railways and Harbour Workers Union (Sarhwu) and the United Transport and Allied Trade Union (Utatu) were part of the strike.
Transnet has a total workforce of about 85 000.
Earlier on Monday, Metrorail in Gauteng said it would no longer provide alternative transport to commuters affected by the strike as had been planned, SABC radio news reported.
Thousands of people are expected to be affected by the disruption of services, especially in Soweto and Vereeniging.
No trains would be running between the West Rand and Johannesburg, the SABC said.
At the weekend, Metrorail said contingency plans had been made to ensure commuters were not left stranded until the strike ends on Wednesday.
Metrorail workers together with workers at Spoornet, SA Port Operations, the National Ports Authority, Petronet, Transwerk, Autopax, Freightdynamics, and a number of smaller business units are to strike for three days in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the North West.
Utatu said on Sunday the three-day strike as well as the national strike on March 6 would go ahead after talks between trade unions and Transnet management to resolve the dispute over the parastatal’s restructuring broke down.
Transnet spokesperson John Dludlu said on Saturday that management had decided to opt for mediation, but that no details in this regard had yet been finalised.
The unions embarked on regional strikes in January. – Sapa