Mayor condemns bus blockades

EThekwini Municipality has appealed to bus drivers to be patient as the City verifies their account details in order for their December salaries and bonuses to be paid.

Last week, the City entered into an agreement with Durban Transport bus operator, Tansnat in an effort to avert a strike action by bus drivers who threatened to down tools after Tansnat failed to pay them their bonuses and December salary.

The City opted to pay the Tansnat employees, excluding management, directly and recover the money from Tansnat.

Drivers have been asked by the City to complete an employment confirmation form to verify if they are indeed Tansnat employees. The forms together with the copies of the drivers’ Identity Documents and bank statements are to be submitted to the Municipality as part of the verification process.

EThekwini Mayor James Nxumalo said once the City has verified employees’ names and bank accounts, the salaries and bonuses will be paid directly from the City’s account to the drivers.
“We are trying to avoid a situation whereby the salaries are paid into wrong bank accounts. We have also put in place a set of conditions for the money to be paid back to the City by Tansnat,” said Nxumalo.

Nxumalo  condemned the blockading of roads in various parts of the City and urged drivers to table their concerns through appropriate channels so that they could be addressed amicably.

“We appeal to bus drivers to be calm while we address the issue,” said Nxumalo.

The Municipality apologised to commuters and motorists for the inconvenience caused. “We advise commuters to plan their journeys accordingly using alternative transport arrangements.

The Municipality will communicate all updated information about the bus strike through all media platforms. We will inform commuters once the bus service is fully restored,” he said.