Rea Vaya - not so much!

 

Gosh - another sudden, unannounced bus strike.

For the third time in four months the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit system failed to operate this morning.

Nobody from the transport department knew why. Nor did anyone from the City of Joburg, or the Rea Vaya Communications office. Not even the Metro Trading Company - the business set up to manage the Rea Vaya stations knew what was going on.

I called them all back just before my late morning deadline and was told the strike action was all to do with a dispute relating to station staff employment contracts set to expire at the end of October.

I dunno, but it doesn't seem to me that going on a sudden strike is the best path to job security. But then again, these BRT workers have gone on illegal, unprotected strikes twice before and got their own way, so maybe it is the thing to do. I have been spectacularly unsuccessful in reaching anyone with authority who can tell me what they plan to do about this situation.

I heard that the Rea Vaya workers were toyi-toying and causing problems at the Thokoza Park station in Soweto and headed out there to speak to them. Dozens were gathered there, most of them lounging on the grass under trees and unwilling to speak - sure that they were not going to work, not so sure about why. The few groups of emotional people talking agitatedly about what other actions to take would also not speak.

A group of us stood in the sun and watched them. A photographer translated the shouts of one of the security workers who was complaining that his salary of R2000 was not enough for him to afford a life policy and that if he got killed on duty his family would be left with nothing.

So - none of the bosses knew what was being demanded of them. None of the workers was saying what exactly they wanted.

I have had to hand this one over to the late shift reporter in the hopes that maybe by sundown or later there will be a voice of reason or some kind of explanation of what happened.

Today was day two of this illegal strike. Still the buses were not running. And still nobody was fired. I called around and discovered that the reason for the strike was now clear. Apparently all the workers' contracts expire at the end of October and they all want to be immediately given permanent employment.

The glitch in the matrix, however, is that the Joburg City Council has apparently promised 40% of these jobs to the taxi industry.

Eish. Caught between a disgruntled worker and the taxi mafia!

So we wait to see if the city's shiny new buses will run tomorrow.

 

Arrogant man, angry people.

Horrible, uncomfortable, challenging and draining are the words that come to mind when I think about the events of today.
On Monday our Soweto hip hop star Jub Jub and a friend allegedly downed some alcohol, jumped in their Mini Coopers and went dicing down a two-way suburban road. As one would expect during afternoon peak hour traffic, they encountered an oncoming car so the one in the wrong lane dodged back, clipped the other and they both lost control.
Their cars ploughed into six teenage boys walking home from school, killing four of them.
Jub Jub - fresh back from his appearance on Celebrity Survivor which he walked out of voluntarily after developing a rash on his manly bits - and his mate were duly arrested while the media scrambled to cover what is turning out to be a HUGE story.
Today was their first appearance in court.
I have never seen such chaos. The case drew such attention that the police had to lock the gates to the court, causing thousands of people to gather in the streets. The court building itself was packed out and the courtroom where Jub Jub and friend were to appear turned into one big, heaving, hot, uncomfortable squash. For almost two hours.
It didn't take very long for the matter to eventually be postponed for a week, despite Jub Jub's smooth lawyer's argument that "yes, we have lost four innocent souls, but Your Worship this was an accident...". Ja. His real court submission.
Jub Jub's family were there to support him. His dad, his sister and another guy looking very Michael Jackson in tight pants, bouffant hair, lots of bling and a man bag dangling from his wrist. His mother Mama Jackey - known as the Angel of Soweto before she was branded a liar and convincted of assault - was absent.
And so Jub Jub and mate were escorted back to the cells. Then they were taken away in an armoured van, which was a good thing for them because the angry, angry mob outside stoned it. I think he should be grateful that he was not released on bail.
I got back to the office and filed the story for tomorrow.
There was a bit of a commotion in the newsroom when an anonymously sourced e-mail arrived with photographs of the Jub Jub crash. It was beyond disturbing. Sharp, clear images of dead children that look like they were taken for forensic evidence purposes. Young boys staring lifelessly up at the sky. One with blood dripping from his mouth. Another looking as though his legs were torn off.