Durban - Parts of the Durban CBD has been closed to traffic as more and more protestors make their way towards the SAPS headquarters in Bram Fischer Road.
Provincial SAPS spokesperson, Brigadier Jay Naicker, said the N2 onramp to the N3 eastbound has slow moving traffic and vehicles are being escorted by Metro Police.
The protest is one of several taking place in major cities across the country, orchestrated by the Congress of South African Trade Unions in a bid to highlight issues around public transport, health and safety, corruption, attacks on collective bargaining, retrenchment and unemployment, gender-based violence and the gender pay gap.
Around midday, motorists complained of massive traffic backlogs.
"I am on the N3 bear the Marrianhill Toll Plaza and have had to switch my car off. Traffic has been standing for 35 minutes," a motorist said.
Last week, COSATU and the SA Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) vowed to bring the country to a standstill.
“If the crowds are bigger than expected, the following roads – Bram Fischer, Shepstone, Sylvester Ntuli and Stalwart Simelane – will be closed to traffic," said Metro Police spokesperson, Snr Superintendent Parboo Sewpersad.
COSATU KZN provincial secretary, Edwin Mkhize, said they will hand over memorandums of understanding to officials from government departments.
“We will make our way to the Servamus Building where we will hand over our petitions to officials from the offices of the SAPS, Premier, Business Chamber, Labour Department and CCMA," he said.
IOL