Johannesburg - Joburg’s Rea Vaya buses were due back on the roads on Thursday under heavy police guard following a six-week strike by drivers.
The private company that operates the system, Piotrans, said on Wednesday it would run at a limited capacity service of 80 percent, covering some of its main routes including Soweto, the CBD and Cresta.
Police officers would monitor operations because Piotrans feared some of its former workers could pose a security risk to its operations.
A total of 162 drivers were fired after they illegally downed tools.
They were demanding the bus system be operated by the municipality rather than a private company.
It has emerged that internal squabbles in the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu), which represents the drivers, may have led to their sacking because they were given mixed advice on their strike.
Dion Makhura, a Samwu shop steward who was called in by the police when the drivers downed tools, has been denounced by the union’s national leadership for assisting them, saying he was not the right person for the job.
But Makhura said the union’s leadership was holding talks with Piotrans without updating the drivers.
Drivers went on strike on February 2, which led to a shutdown of bus services for six weeks.
Piotrans said on Wednesday it had lost R29.4 million during the mass action.
Company spokesman Dumisani Mntambo said it would take years to recover the losses.
Although new drivers have been hired, Samwu and Makhura say they have gone to the Labour Court to get the axed employees reinstated.
Earlier this month, the union’s general secretary, Walter Theledi, warned drivers against Makhura.
“This is the same individual who is responsible for the loss of over 160 jobs at Rea Vaya, and he is continuing with the same tactics at JRA (the Johannesburg Roads Agency).
“We are concerned that this may lead to further job losses. It is for this reason that we, in the interest of our members, will intervene,” he said.
Makhura has hit back, saying the union intervened only when he was called by police who needed help dispersing the drivers after they gathered illegally on the day they abandoned the buses.
Makhura said infighting at Samwu had led to the axing of the drivers.
“They (the national leadership) are fighting with us because we say they must give us back our stolen money,” he said.
“The union is battling a multimillion-rand fraud scandal which led to the arrest of its project management consultant, Samuel Phaswane, who will face charges of theft involving R7m when his trial resumes.”
Meanwhile, the system is expected to be back in full operation by the middle of next month, after Piotrans employs 70 new drivers to join those who were recently employed.
The Star