Special report by Karima Brown, Nazma Dreyer, Jo-Anne Smetherham, Sapa, Lee Rondganger, Aphiwe Boyce, Botho Molosankwe and Sholain Govender
It has finally come to this - a strike that has been billed as one of the biggest in the country's history.
Across the country, 800 000 public servants were due to take to the streets on Thursday to protest against the government's wage offer.
"For the first time, we are seeing almost all the unions running together, supporting each other and representing the over one million public servants," Cosatu president Willie Madisha said on Wednesday.
In the country's last big strike, in 1999, about 400 000 public servants downed tools over wages.
All major city centres will be affected by massive marches. The main one was to be in Pretoria, with the handover of a memorandum to the Treasury before marchers proceed to the Union Buildings.
In Cape Town, workers were to descend on parliament. In the other provinces, marches were to target the offices of the premiers and legislatures.
Education is to be hardest hit by the action. Principals and trade unions alike have called on parents to keep their children at home.
The only teacher union to have voted against striking is the Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie.
Strike action will include:
- Teachers, police officers, nurses and prison warders, even though essential-services workers are barred from industrial action.
- Municipal workers had earlier been urged by their union to show solidarity with public servants.
- Striking immigration officials will cause delays in clearing travellers entering or leaving South Africa at airports and harbours.
- Closed deeds offices, already backlogged, will affect property transfers.
- The City of Johannesburg and the South African Police Service say they will ensure minimal disruption.
- All essential services and medical emergency services will be maintained.
On Wednesday, the eight public sector unions discussed Cosatu's call for an extension of the strike.
National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa president Dave Balt said a decision to extend the strike could be taken only once today's action had been properly assessed.
Union organiser Enoch Rabotape, secretary for the "strike committee", said: "Our officials have applied to the relevant authorities for (permission to march along) routes for the demarcated areas."
"Each region will have to fork out about R100 000. This will cover the costs of transporting thousands of workers from far-flung areas to the city centres."
The government's decision to take its R28-billion, three-year package off the table - and renegotiate afresh - appears to have further inflamed unions.
"It means we are starting from scratch," said Thulas Nxesi, general secretary of the South African Democratic Teachers Union. "The government is confusing us."
The unions were presented with three options - renegotiating a pay rise only for 2004/5; drafting a three-year contract excluding benefits such as housing allowances; and drafting a three-year contract limiting these benefits.
According to various economists, the strike will cost the country between R150-million and R1-billion.
Lumkile Mondi, chief economist at the Industrial Development Corporation, said the loss to the GDP would amount to R1-billion.
But Azar Jammine, from Econometrix, said a one-day strike was not likely to have a large impact, estimating the damage to the economy at R150-million.
Most police officers will not participate in today's mass action - that was the line from the top and from the ground. The few who do will have taken leave.
Officers told The Star they had received leaflets telling them that it was illegal for them to participate. The majority would adhere, they said.
Staff at Joburg Central police station said: "It's a normal working day and people will get help when they come here."
Metro police are not affected.
Despite assurances on Wednesday from health authorities that hospitals would be fully operational, the situation on the ground was difficult to judge on Wednesday night. Poor pay of nurses has been an issue of contention for some time, and the health workers' union is even calling for more strike days. A Gauteng Health Department spokesperson said health workers were aware that, as essential workers, they cannot strike. "We don't expect there will be any major disruptions," he said.
Parents have been advised by individual schools not to send children in on Thursday as many educators will participate in the strike. The department of education insists it is a normal school day and says any principal turning pupils away or locking school gates will face action. The Gauteng department has been in talks with police regarding protecting teachers who might be intimidated by colleagues. No special plans are in place, and parents are advised to call schools to check details.
As the Post Office is no longer a public entity, its workers are not taking part in the strike or the attendant protest action.
Just in case its postal workers were confused, however, they were briefed on Thursday to that effect.
A staff member at the Marshalltown post office said: "We are not going on strike, so people should expect business as usual."
An employee at the Johannesburg magistrate's court said most staff were expected to go on a go-slow, if they hadn't taken leave to join the marches. So expect some delays and postponements.
Kaizer Kganyago, spokesperson for the department of justice, said they were hoping courts would operate as normal.
He said he was aware of the number of Popcru members in the department and warned those going on strike they could face disciplinary action.
Correctional Services spokesperson Vusi Shabalala said his department was relying on its members to be loyal and to treat those in their care with compassion. "If they do engage in the unprotected strike, they must face the consequences."
Hento Davids, deputy commissioner of Diepkloof Prison, said he expected the day to run normally, despite the threat to strike by Popcru members. He said staff members had signed a contract agreeing not to strike.
Home affairs offices would be open, including at Market Street, said Kgotso Mokoena, a senior staff member. Some employees would participate in the strike, but most senior officials were expected to be at work. Sections that deal with issuing IDs, birth certificates and passports would operate as normal, insisted Mokoena.
Antoinette van den Berg, assistant director of the Harrison Street office, said they would also be open, but would be operating with a skeleton staff.