Rea Vaya mystery

At long darn last the Selebi trial is beginning to wrap up. The defence has closed its case. All we wait for now is final arguments as the long-long-long awaited light looms at the end of the tunnel. I am so happy. Now I can work on some other stuff. For a change.

But - not so much fun as I anticipated today. A miscommunication mix-up saw me stuck in the office today and not hightailing it off to the metropolis of Ventersdorp for the bail application of one Chris Mahlangu who stands accused of hacking one Eugene Terre Blanche to death with a panga or some kind of farming implement.

And so from my desk I covered this morning's mysterious Rea Vaya bus strike. Mysterious, I say, because nobody seems to know how or why it simply happened. Everybody was cross about it, the council pointed fingers at the union, the union denied involvement or responsibility - and somehow every bus driver stayed away from work today in an impeccably organised strike action. I tracked down the cell number of one of the bus drivers at lunch time, shortly before the 2pm deadline that would see the whole thing declared illegal.

Me: Hi, are you a bus driver. One of the guys on strike?

Bus Driver: Yes. How did you get my number?

Me: Never mind. I just want to know, are you on strike?

Bus Driver: Yes. But if I speak to you, you may not mention my name, okay.

Me: Okay. So why are you striking?

Bus Driver: Ummmm. It's a complicated situation that I don't really understand.

Me: Oooookay. So you don't know why you are striking. Can you tell me who called on you guys to strike? Who is behind this?

Bus Driver: I don't actually know. But everybody is in meetings with management and we are going to go back to work now.

Ja. Well. No. Fine. Enlightening indeed.

I think I would rather have gone to Lolly Jackson's funeral!