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Stuff from Johannesburg

Gautrain strike called off

The standard Gautrain train service will resume on Friday after the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) signed a wage proposal with the employer.

Meanwhile, today trains will continue to operate at 15-minute intervals in the peak periods and at 30-minute intervals in the off-peak period.

The Gautrain management said it was pleased that the workers’ strike has ended. The strike commenced on 5 October following wage negotiations that deadlocked between the Bombela Operating Company (BOC) and NUMSA.

“NUMSA and BOC, with the support of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), have found a way in which the company’s offer of 4.1% can be supported, with employees in the lowest salary bands being better protected through this difficult period,” Gautrain said.

According to NUMSA, the signed wage proposal was brought forth by the management of the BOC.

“On Monday, the management of Gautrain made a proposal, which our members have accepted,” said NUMSA General Secretary, Irvin Jim.

According to the union, BOC has agreed that lower-income earners pocketing up to and including R8 500 per month will receive a R900 per month increase.

Meanwhile, those who earn between R8 501 and R20 000 per month will get an increase of R850 per month.

“All employees who earn more than 20 000 will receive a 4.1% increase,” said Jim.

The increase will be backdated to 1 July 2020.

“We welcome the signing of the agreement, particularly as the increase which has been secured benefits the lowest-paid workers.

“If workers had received a 4.1% increase, it would have meant that the lowest-paid worker would only get R348 increase, compared to a R900 per month increase, which we secured, and in reality translates to more than 10% increase.

“Because of their courage and the sacrifices they made by embarking on strike action, all workers at Gautrain have received an increase in their salaries,” said Jim. – SAnews.gov.za

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Museum Africa: The Memory of the Market

Long before it was a sanctuary for artifacts, this building was the Johannesburg Municipal Fruit and Vegetable Market, completed in 1913. At the time, it was an architectural marvel of the industrial age, featuring a massive, vaulted roof supported by reinforced concrete and steel—a design intended to keep the produce cool in the biting Highveld sun. The site was chosen for its proximity to the railway lines, allowing fresh goods from across Southern Africa to be funneled directly into the heart of the city. For decades, it was a place of frantic, multi-racial commerce where the air was thick with the smell of citrus and the shouts of auctioneers. In 1994—the same year South Africa held its first democratic elections—the market was transformed into Museum Africa, symbolically turning a site of physical sustenance into one of intellectual and historical nourishment.