This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.
The Citizen reports that while SA continues to endure hundreds of Covid-19 deaths weekly, commuters in Durban say they have no choice but to use overcrowded trains as the cheapest way to get to work.
During a commute on the Umlazi line last week, people were seen standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the carriages, many of them not wearing masks. Some commuters said the pandemic and the effects of the subsequent lockdown had hit them hard financially so travelling by train was their only option because a train ticket from Durban to KwaMnyandu in Umlazi was R7.50 compared to R20 for a taxi. One Umlazi commuter confirmed that the trains he took daily were overcrowded: “People seem not to care that there is a virus out there. All they care about is how much they are saving.” He added that regular delays in the train schedule also contributed to packed carriages during peak times. Another commuter said Prasa should be monitoring whether all Covid-19 regulations were being observed at stations. In October, the United National Transport Union (Untu) demanded that the Transport Minister, Fikile Mbalula, should be held personally accountable for Prasa’s blatant disregard of Covid-19 regulations and the safety of commuters and its employees. Untu’s Dan Khumalo criticised Prasa for “gambling with the lives of commuters”. A Prasa spokesman said the shortage of trains was due to ageing infrastructure and a limited supply of components to maintain them.
- Read the original of the report in the above regard by Nokulunga Majola on page 9 of The Citizen of 24 November 2020
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page