South African police on Monday fired rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of nurses taking part in a nationwide strike over pay, wounding several, state radio reported. Police also arrested 20 nurses in the incident at a hospital in Durban, the radio said. It quoted police as saying the nurses were blocking entrances to the hospital.
South African civil servants launched a national strike on Friday, causing turmoil in some hospitals and emptying classrooms as unions demanded a hefty wage hike from the government. The Congress of South African Trade Unions, which had called on 700Â 000 public workers to strike, said the early turnout was a success.
South Africa’s drive to abolish colonial and apartheid-era place names has met resistance in parts of the black community, where activists accuse the ruling African National Congress of honouring only its own heroes. Thousands of demonstrators thronged the streets of Durban on May Day to protest proposals to rename close to 200 buildings, roads and other landmarks.