Millions of commuters are set to be stranded on Monday as the nationwide bus strike continues.

Negotiations between Golden Arrow coaches and Satawu members broke down on Friday afternoon.

Satawu Spokesperson Zanele Sabela said, “The unions currently are standing at a 9 percent increase. We were not willing to sign a multi-year agreement, this is what we are willing to accept right now… Friday the spirit was not good at all. We are still waiting to see what will happen.”

The MyCiTi bus service in Cape Town also remains suspended until further notice and commuters should expect heavy traffic on the roads, the city warned on Sunday.



“The nationwide strike action affecting the South African bus industry is continuing,” mayoral committee member for transport and urban development Brett Herron said.

It was unclear when the strike action, which was the result of deadlocked wage negotiations, would come to an end. Those making use of road-based transport should expect heavy traffic and longer travelling times for as long as the strike continued, in particular at the start of a new work week, he said.

The lock-out instituted by the vehicle operating companies operating the MyCiTi service would thus remain in place until further notice. Regretfully, this meant that there would be no MyCiTi trunk or feeder services available for as long as the strike and lock-out continued.

MyCiTi commuters were requested to make alternative travelling arrangements for the time being. The city was monitoring the situation and would provide commuters with updates as far as possible.

Those commuters with monthly MyCiTi tickets should note that the monthly packages would be extended for a period equal to the number of days that the strike action lasted. The extension would be determined once the strike had come to an end, Herron said.

Source: eNCA