Strike may disrupt festive season

Pretoria - On Tuesday the transporting of both freight and passengers in Gauteng could be disrupted by transport workers' union Satawu's march protesting the controversial Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act.

Satawu, which has 100 000 members countrywide, previously threatened to bring the country to a standstill over the festive period as Transport Minister S’bu Ndebele had several times cancelled appointments with it, and the authorities were deaf to its objections to Aarto.

According to Satawu general secretary Zenzo Mahlangu, a meeting eventually took place last Tuesday.

Ndebele himself had not been present, but George Mahlalela, the director-general, and other officials were.

Collins Letsoalo, the acting chief executive of the Road Transport Management Corporation (RTMC), who has to implement the legislation, was also present. He confirmed that a task team of five members each from the union and the authorities had been put together to discuss Satawu’s grievances.

But he denied Mahlangu’s assertion that the task team had to report back by December 10 and that the authorities has agreed to put off any further implementation on January 1 next year.

Letsoalo said that the mandate he had received from Ndebele was to have Aarto in force countrywide by March 31, sans the demerit system, which would follow later. It might be implemented even earlier in the other four metros, he said. The systems in these cities were up and ready and all that was required was consultation with certain groups.

Mahlangu also said the authorities had undertaken to refrain from commenting on a  possible date for the further implementation of the act unless an official announcement was made. But Letsoalo denied knowledge of this.

Aarto trial runs are currently under way in Tshwane and Johannesburg and at the last minute some time ago Ndebele postponed its extension to Durban, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Ekhurhuleni – which had been planned for July 1 this year.

According to Mahlangu, bus drivers, truck drivers and taxi drivers in Gauteng would take part in a protest march on Tuesday. Satawu asked employers to give workers time off and even to join the protest themselves, as Aarto would affect them too.

Letsoalo said he respected everyone’s right to protest, but he considered it inappropriate before the task team had completed its work.

Satawu, said Mahlangu, was considering also throwing its weight behind the newly established business people’s Aarto action group which had received broad support from the business world regarding legal action to wipe Aarto of the statute book and refer it back to the legislator.

The action was being led by the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Solidarity trade union and the civil rights group Afriforum had also thrown their weight behind it.

- Sake24

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