Durban - The road freight strike was blamed for several petrol filling stations running dry across KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend.
Motorists were turned away by petrol attendants or diverted to other stations which did have petrol.
Motorist Nkululeko Mosh told The Mercury he was turned away from the Shell garage in Isipingo Rail because there was no unleaded fuel.
On Saturday, Fez Pato wrote on Facebook: “Sitting by the roadside. Stranded in Durban. There is no petrol.”
In Gillitts, the BP garage only had diesel, according to a worker there. “We have been dry on petrol from Saturday. The strike is affecting us.”
A Shell garage worker in Isipingo Hills also reported only having diesel while another Shell garage in uMbogintwini had neither petrol nor diesel, an employee said. “It is because of the truck strike motorists are suffering and we are not working a lot. We hope this ends soon”.
ATMs were also affected by the strike at the weekend, with FNB warning of cash shortages. The bank advised, via sms, that its customers should use their cards to purchase goods or withdraw cash at retail stores.
Meanwhile, a settlement is yet to be reached in the road freight transport strike with negotiations still underway on Sunday night. And as negotiations continue, truck drivers are planning to march through the streets of Joburg to the bargaining council in Braamfontein tomorrow.
This comes after the Labour Court on Friday granted an interdict prohibiting worker unions and their members from obstructing public roads and workplaces, causing damage to any property or vehicles, committing any act of intimidation, public disorder and violence and carrying weapons.
They were also interdicted from intimidating any person who did not voluntarily participate in the strike action. This included all non-striking employees in the industry.
But South African Transport and Allied Workers Union spokesman Vincent Masoga said the interdict did not affect the actual strike.
He said if they did not reach a conclusion with the employers this week, plans would would include launching a national strike. “We will be marching to Braamfontein.”
The week-long strike started last Monday when more than 20 000 road freight transport industry members are demanded a 12 percent wage increase. The unions rejected a nine percent offer.
“We are still engaging in talks as no agreement has been reached,” said Magretia Brown-Engelbrecht for the Road Freight Employers Organisation
But as the strike enters its second week, non-striking drivers have expressed sympathy for their striking colleagues.
Satawu said on Saturday that striking truck drivers aligned to their union were not responsible for the acts of violence which marred the strike in KZN and Joburg.
Satawu and the Motor Transport Union have also distanced themselves from an alleged agreement between workers and employers in the Cash in Transit sector.