Union must pay for Jo'burg CBD truck driver strike damages

The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) must be held liable for the damages incurred yesterday during the truck drivers' strike.

Truck drivers went on the rampage yesterday, stoning trucks driving past Beyers Naude Square in down town Johannesburg. A photo of one such incident is available here.

In a case also relating to SATAWU, the Constitutional Court ruled in June this year that the COSATU-affiliated union is to be held liable for damage done to public and private property during a 2006 SATAWU strike in Cape Town.

The precedent-setting judgment means that SATAWU should also be held liable for damages incurred during yesterday's strike action in Gauteng.

The DA urges private citizens and companies, and where applicable, the Gauteng provincial government and the City of Johannesburg, to demand SATAWU pay up for damages to public and private property yesterday.

Unions are not a law unto themselves and must not be allowed to intimidate law-abiding citizens through strong-arm and violent tactics.

Statement issued by Neil Campbell MPL, DA Gauteng Roads and Transport Spokesperson, September 26 2012

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