Durban - A planned, nationwide strike by Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa will leave thousands of train users forced to find alternate means of travel on Friday.
According to the Federation of Unions of South Africa and the United National Transport Union, the strike will affect Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and Pretoria on Friday morning.
In a statement, Fedusa said members will gather to embark on their National Day of Protest against extremely poor and dangerous passenger train services.
"These conditions violate all health and safety provisions as seen in the form of late trains, deliberate acts of arson and endless fatal accidents that have left many families traumatised and burdened," the statement noted.
The unions are demanding that President Cyril Ramaphosa take action and declare the passenger rail crisis a national disaster. They are also calling for the army to be deployed to stabilise the situation while a new way forward is decided.
Prasa spokesperson, Nana Zenani, said they recognises that the mass action is not a labour strike against Prasa but a Fedusa-led strike against government.
"The mass action will have a major impact on Prasa’s Metrorail commuter service thus affecting train operations countrywide. While the mass action could have a major impact on the service, PRASA is planning to run a reduced service in the form of a Saturday or Sunday service time table. This will depend on the demand and availability of safety critical staff to operate the service," Zenani said.