A prolonged strike by workers from logistics utility, Transnet, will severely hurt South Africa’s economy, precisely at a time when we should be creating jobs, the Western Cape Government has said.
In a statement released this morning, Mireille Wenger, the province’s Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities said: “Every effort must be made to ensure that Transnet’s Business Continuity Plans (BCP) are fully implemented to ensure that our ports and container terminals – as key arteries of our economy – continue to function.”
She emphasised that, according to a communication received from the state-owned company on Friday, “there are currently five vessels waiting outside Cape Town’s Container Terminals, with a further 10 expected over the next seven days”.
“Ensuring that they can berth will be essential.”
Wenger added: “The Western Cape Government, through its Department of Economic Development and Tourism (Dedat), has offered support in helping ensure that BCPs are implemented and that affected businesses receive information, so that exporters and importers continue to ship over this time.”
She stressed that the effects of a strike would especially be felt by farm workers and the like.
“In the end, our citizens will suffer the consequences of a disruptive strike, especially the thousands of residents employed in our rural areas who work in the agriculture sector. It is therefore important that consensus and a way forward can be reached as soon as possible.”
Wenger pointed out that research commissioned by Dedat found that over 127 000 people in the formal sector were employed directly in the Western Cape because of the products produced or manufactured that were exported through the Port of Cape Town.
A further 97 500 people are employed indirectly because of its induced impact.
“As we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, and as we face new pressures created by our country’s energy crisis, we cannot afford disruptions to growth and job creation.
“It is time to put our country first and think of the many people’s livelihoods that will be jeopardised by a disruptive strike,” Wenger pleaded.
