Johannesburg - Thousands joined marches throughout the country on Thursday to protest against job losses but the impact of the one-day strike varied across the sectors of the economy.
The strike, called by the Congress of SA Trade Unions, was felt hardest in the mining industry, followed by car manufacturers, retailers and the textile industry.
Many schools also reported a high number of absentees.
In Pretoria businesses and transport services reported little effect or service disruptions.
"There was not much of an effect on our members in the city due to the strike today," said Wim du Plessis, chief executive officer of the Gauteng north chamber of business.
Close for the day
He said some manufacturers had decided to close for the day to minimise losses from haphazard or incomplete production.
Telecommunications giant Telkom was also largely unaffected by the strike action.
In Cape Town permission by Cosatu to hold a protest was revoked after a violent protest by security guards on Tuesday.
Two Golden Arrow buses were torched before dawn in Khayelitsha by what the bus company said were people wearing Cosatu sweaters, a driver was assaulted and eight other buses stoned.
Conflicting estimates
Unions and employers gave conflicting estimates of the success of the strike in the Cape Town area.
In Bloemfontein about 3 000 people participated in a march and there was a minimal disruption to services.
The strike, which included 22 marches and rallies, could have cost the economy R2bn, business and economists said.
It would have had a negative impact on job creation and poverty alleviation, said chief operations officer at the Business Unity of SA (Busa) Vic van Vuuren.
"There hasn't been a national massive stayaway, but there have been large numbers in certain industries, in particular the mining industry," he said.
Economist Richard Downing said officially South Africa had an unemployment rate of about 26%. The unofficial figure was closer to 42%.
R1.7bn lost
He estimated that about R1.7bn had been lost on Thursday in the production of goods and services. He said this loss of capacity would lead to job losses.
Cosatu wants the government and employers to treat the "shocking levels" of unemployment and poverty as a national emergency.
Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi told a massive rally in Johannesburg that inequalities in workers' salaries undermined the sacrifices of the anti-apartheid struggle.
He said only four out of 10 South Africans were able to find a job, and 22 million people lived in poverty.
Chamber of Mines spokesperson Elize Strydom said at some mines there was as much as a 100% absence.
She said these mines included AngloGold Ashanti's Vaal River mines. Two-thirds of the workforce at Gold Fields' Kloof mine stayed away.
Harmony Gold spokesperson Philip Kotze said most workers stayed away from its Free State operations.
Some car manufacturing plants in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng had to be closed for the day, while others ran on a very limited scale. These included Volkswagen, DaimlerChrysler and BMW.
Supermarkets affected
Two of the country's biggest supermarket chains - Pick 'n Pay and Shoprite - also reported absent workers.
A total of 59% of Shoprite's stores were affected, said personnel director Callie Burger.
He said 41% of staff were absent throughout the group, and the percentages of absenteeism varied between 21% and 58% in the nine provinces.
In the Eastern Cape, random sampling by the provincial education department had shown that schools nearest the protest marches were most affected.
Spokesperson Loyiso Pulumani said marches were held in Queenstown, East London, Port Elizabeth and Mthatha. These areas had stayaways of between 80 and 90%.
The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union said about 70% of its members downed tools.
Union deputy general secretary Andre Kriel said many textile and clothing companies across the country had to close.
The country's harbours were largely unaffected by the protest.
SA Port Operations chief operating officer Graham Braby said there were limited disruptions to operations at Durban and Port Elizabeth.
Landside operations were stopped at the Durban Container Terminal with 50% activity at the quayside.
The strike was a "flop" in the metal industry, the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of SA (Seifsa) said.
Seifsa spokesperson Angelique Morton said that according to a survey, a very limited number of companies reported low worker absenteeism.
"The overall impact on the industry was minimal," she said.