Durban - The 22 striking Ilanga newspaper journalists were served with official dismissal letters on Thursday as applications for their vacancies piled up.
This was as the war of words between the IFP and the ANC continued, with the former accusing the ruling party of spearheading the continuing labour dispute.
The paper’s managing director, Arthur Konigkramer, said he had received more than 50 job applications.
“We had a paper today and we will continue to publish,” he said.
The mass dismissal comes after the employees of the paper, KwaZulu-Natal’s oldest Zulu newspaper, downed tools on Wednesday last week to demand the reinstatement of shop steward William Phungula, who was dismissed for leading a salary strike in April.
On Saturday two journalists deleted the paper’s Sunday edition from the system after they managed to evade security. But senior staff worked furiously to ensure the paper would be delivered.
A case of damage to property was subsequently looked against the journalists.
The IFP has said it believes that the strike is being orchestrated by the ANC in an attempt to reclaim the newspaper.
The paper was established by Dr JL Dube, the founding president of the ANC. He sold it in 1930 and the IFP bought it in the 1970s.
The ANC has distanced itself from the dispute, saying the allegations levelled against the party by the IFP are baseless. - Daily News