‘Cops opened fire on us’
A striking contract worker said that police, escorting them along the highway, opened fire on them as they were making their way back from Sanral’s offices in Midrand.
|||Midrand - There’s a strong police presence outside the South African National Road Agency’s (Sanral) offices where two hundred workers employed by its contractor gathered for a picket.
It has also since emerged that a number of workers were injured during clashes with police on Tuesday afternoon.
South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) spokesperson, Zanele Sabela said that protesters had been walking on the highway on their way back home from a long day of protests on Tuesday, bringing traffic to a standstill.
The workers would have been in contempt of a court order issued on Tuesday prohibiting them from protesting on the freeway.
“They had no other choice, they needed to get back to their destinations,” said Sabela.
She added that 8 workers had been arrested and many others had been shot at on Tuesday.
A worker who wished to remain anonymous said police opened fire without a warning.
“We were walking back on the highway and police were driving in front of us and behind us, they blocked the road and allowed no motorists to drive next to us, next minute they opened fire.”
The workers said said they would not return to work until their demands are met. Sabela said it is not yet clear whether the negations at the CCMA into the wage increase dispute will be settled.
Teti Traffic, the company contracted to Sanral’s Project Manager at, Karen Venter said that the company has offered workers 7% increase and explained that the company could not afford anything above that.
Labour Bureau