Durban - AS disgruntled bus drivers from Durban’s bus service blocked major roads with their buses to protest over labour issues yesterday, the eThekwini Municipality’s full council passed a resolution to form a municipal entity to run the city’s bus service.
The protesting drivers, who work for Tansnat, raised a number of issues including salary increases, leave, and said they want to be permanently employed by the City.
Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda denounced the blockading of roads and described the acts as unlawful conduct. Kaunda said the protest had also negatively affected the economy, and those responsible must face the full might of the law.
“Our economy is very strained by Covid-19 and this unlawful conduct is compounding our woes,” he said.
Kaunda called on Tansnat to move with speed and resolve the issues with the drivers.
“We are expecting the bus operator to discipline such drivers. We apologise to all residents and business that have been affected by these incidents and we are doing everything possible in our power for the situation to return to normalcy.
“This is a country that is governed by laws, and all of us should respect the rule of law no matter what grievances we may have,” he said.
Kaunda, who also met with drivers yesterday, said that the process was under way to establish an entity to run the bus service.
The roadmap on the establishment of the new entity was approved by the City’s full council yesterday.
Speaking at the council meeting, ANC councillor Thanduxolo Sabelo said the plan would involve the setting up of an entity that would be 51% owned by the municipality, in accordance with legislation, and a chief executive and a board would be appointed to manage it.
“It is a road map, and there is going to be a process where we enter into negotiations on how we take all employees of Tansnat to be employed by the City,” he said.
DA caucus leader Nicole Graham objected to the plan, saying that it was the third time the council had been asked to make a decision regarding the bus service and that the plan excluded using bus services operated by people of Indian descent.
“It says all bus services in the municipality are operated by people of Indian decent. Anyone who lives in Durban will know that there has been a legacy of bus services owned by Indian people offering a service at a reasonable fee,” she said.
“We have no problem with any decision that seeks to broaden participation, but we do have a problem with one that seeks to expressly exclude Indian bus operators, who have the know-how to run a successful bus service,” she said.
However, Sabelo said Graham’s comment was a “complete political statement with the aim to mislead the council”.
“It is absolutely not true that this roadmap seeks to exclude people of Indian descent. The government listened to the cry of the people who have complained that Durban Transport is not efficient, and they require Durban Transport to be run by eThekwini Municipality,” Sabelo said.
Meanwhile, Tansnat issued a notice to the workers calling for them to end the protest immediately or have their contract terminated. Tansnat’s chief operations officer, Vickesh Maharaj, said they were aware of the drivers’ protest action and the blockade.
He said the drivers were requesting permanent employment from the municipality, and that had been a long-standing issue.
The Mercury