South Africa: South African Airways (SAA) facing possible strike by its pilots! [update #3]

update (07 December 2024): South African Airways (SAA) has announced that the pilots' strike, which began on 05 December 2024, has been suspended as of 02:00 this morning. This resolution follows successful negotiations between SAA Executive Management and the South African Airways Pilots Association (SAAPA). The airline is expected to return to a 100% flight schedule by 08 December 2024, with more than 100 pilots returning to their duties by 12:00 today (07 December 2024). We'll keep you posted!

update (05 December 2024): According to Khaya Buthelezi, SAA's senior manager of corporate relations, flights to Perth in Australia and Sao Paulo in Brazil have both been canceled as no partner airlines could be found to transfer passengers to.

update (05 December 2024): The pilots started striking this morning at 07:00. According to SAA, the strike's length is unclear. It will impact all SAA-operated flights on domestic and regional routes, including Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha, Windhoek, and Mauritius. However, flights by SAA’s codeshare and Star Alliance partners will operate as scheduled.

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South African Airways (SAA) is facing a strike by its pilots. The airline announced on 03 December 2024  that after protracted wage negotiations it has received a notification from the SAA Pilots Association (SAAPA) expressing their intent to embark on a strike action commencing 05 December 2024. According to SAA, the management of the airline is doing everything possible to avoid a strike by pilots, or any disruptions to its operations, especially during the December peak season.

“SAA has only recently regained its operational viability after emerging from business rescue in 2021. In order not to disrupt this momentum, we are committed to ongoing negotiations with SAAPA and to do everything possible to reach a fair settlement that is mutually beneficial to both the pilots and the company”, said SAA Interim Chief Executive Officer Professor John Lamola.

We'll keep you posted!

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Durban: uShaka Marine World reopens after strike!

The uShaka Marine World in Durban in KwaZulu-Nata has announced on 15 March 2024 that it is reopening to guests on 16 March 2024. The theme park on Durban's Golden Mile was closed since 12 February due to an industrial action. The strike got suspended officially from Friday, 15 March 2024. To accommodate for the preparations, the reopening of the various offerings will have a staggered approach as follows:

• Village Walk Mall – open on Saturday, 16 March 2024
• Dangerous Creatures – open on Saturday, 16 March 2024
• Sea Animal Encounter Island - open on Saturday, 16 March 2024
• Sea World - open on Saturday, 16 March 2024
• Cargo Hold Restaurant – open on Monday, 18 March 2024
• Wahooz Restaurant – open on Monday, 18 March 2024
• Kids World – open on Wednesday, 20 March 2024
• Wet n Wild – open on Wednesday, 20 March 2024

Durban: uShaka Marine World closed until further notice due to strike over wages!

The uShaka Marine World in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal has announced on 12 February 2024 that it is temporarily closed until further notice due to an industrial action. The theme park’s employees represented by the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) issued the management with a strike notice after wage negotiations with the eThekwini Municipality, the owner of the uShaka Marine World, have deadlocked. The dispute is now being handled by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).
According to the Berea Mail, a local newspaper from Durban, the staff of uShaka Sea World will continue to care for the animals during the strike as they are managed by a separate entity to uShaka Marine World.

Mpumalanga: Temporary closure of provincial nature reserves due to strike action!

The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) has announced that its staff went on strike over wage demands at all its offices and 15 provincial nature reserves throughout Mpumalanga. In a press statement on Wednesday (09 November 2022), the provincial tourism authority said that its management is in discussions with the leadership of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) to resolve the dispute over the salary increments for the 2022/2023 financial year. According to the MTPA, both parties will continue to engage to reach a consensus and further ensure that operations at all offices and nature reserves in Mpumalanga can resume. We'll keep you posted!

Mpumalanga: The provincial nature reserves are open again!

According to news reports, the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) and the provincial leadership of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) are set to sign an agreement today (21 April 2021) which will see all issues raised since the beginning of the industrial action being addressed. The provincial nature reserves in Mpumalanga managed by the MTPA, which were closed since 06 April 2021, are now open for business again and visitors can enjoy their stay without interruption.

Mpumalanga: Temporary closure of provincial nature reserves due to strike action! [update]

update (19 April 2021): The provincial nature reserves in Mpumalanga managed by the MTPA will continue to be closed.

update (13 April 2021): The provincial nature reserves in Mpumalanga managed by the MTPA will continue to be closed for this weekend.

The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) has announced that it's staff went on strike through the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) this morning (06 April 2021). Due to the strike action, all provincial nature reserves in Mpumalanga managed by the MTPA are temporarily closed and travellers will not be allowed access. According to news reports, the MTPA and NEHAWU are in currently in talks but it is unclear when the situation will reach its conclusion. We'll keep you posted!

Mpumalanga: Various tourist attraction sites closed due to strike action! [update]

update (10 March 2020): According to the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism, there is no need to avoid the Panoroma Road. As of 09 March 2020, all of the sites are open and accessible to visitors. The protests had no indication of violence and the management of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) is doing a remarkable job of negotiating with the union.

Various tourist attraction sites in South Africa's province of Mpumalanga are currently closed due to strike action. Employees of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) downed their tools in protest of a recently approved organogram in the agency. The tourist attraction sites in Mpumalanga are currently affected by the strike include Three Rondavels, Blyde River Canyon, Bourke's Luck Potholes, the Pinnacle and God’s Window. We'll keep you posted!

Cape Town: Robben Island Museum hit by strike action! [update]

update (16 January 2020): The stike is still ongoing, but according to RIM operation are proceeding uninterrupted!

update (13 January 2020): RIM has confirmed that operations are proceeding uninterrupted!

update (10 January 2020): The Robben Island ferry service has NOT been suspended. The RIM, as well as the ferry, is still open for business despite the ongoing strike action. The only cancellation that took place during the strike period was on 09 January 2020 (08:00 and 09:00 tours). All other tours from Monday until today (06 - 10 January 2020) continued as planned.

update (09 January 2020): Due to the strike action by Nehawu workers, the Robben Island Museum (RIM) has has been forced to use outsourced ferries. This morning at least two tours were cancelled. According to the RIM, all services are now operational again. 

update (07 January 2020): The Robben Island Museum (RIM) has just released an update on Instagram (?)!

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

IMPORTANT UPDATE:  Following recent media reports regarding some of our employees (NEHAWU members) striking/picketing 30 metres away from our premises; please be advised that operations have not been affected and visitor safety is and will always be a priority. We have put necessary measures in place to ensure that we continue to operate seamlessly.  We look forward to welcoming you to Robben Island Museum!

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Robben Island Museum (@robben_island) am Jan 7, 2020 um 5:00 PST

The Robben Island Museum (RIM) on Cape Town's Robben Island is currently experiencing a legally protected strike organized by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu), which includes tour guides, boat crews, marketing and ticket sales. A group of employees, who are among other things demanding a 9% across the board salary increase, staged a picket near the entrance of the museum on 06 January 2019. According to the RIM, security measures have been put in place, so that the strike has sofar not affected operations. We'll keep you posted!

South Africa Airways strike update (25 November 2019)!

South Africa's flag carrier, South African Airways, has reached an agreement with the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) and the South African Airways Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) to end the industrial action on 21 November 2019. Over the weekend, the airline has restored a full flight schedule. Since 24 November 2019, South African Airways operates services as usual on all three of its networks: domestic, regional (points on the African Continent) and international. Travellers holding a confirmed itinerary may proceed to their departure airport as usual. In line with standard practice, the airline recommends its customers to visit its website for all further flight updates. 

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South Africa Airways strike update (20 November 2019)!

South African Airways has announced its intention to resume selected flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban and Victoria Falls, with effect from 21 November 2019. Customers travelling on the airline's regional network to one of the three destinations will be rebooked on the reinstated services and contacted accordingly. South African Airways will seek to rebook customers travelling on other regional routes (points on the African Continent) wherever possible. The airline is also continuing to work with its partner airlines, Mango and SA Airlink, to re-book all customers travelling on domestic services for 21 November 2019 and 22 November 2019.
All flights to the airline's eight international destinations are operating on an ongoing basis and without disruption. Regional fligths to six destinations on the African continent, namely Accra, Lagos, Lusaka, Maputo, Windhoek and Harare, are also successfully operating.

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South Africa Airways strike update (19 November 2019)!

According to South African Airways' latest press release, all flights to the airline's eight international destinations are now operating as usual and on an ongoing basis. Regional fligths to six destinations on the African continent, namely Accra, Lagos, Lusaka, Maputo, Windhoek and Harare, are resuming today.
South African Airways is continuing to work with its partner airline Mango to re-book all customers travelling on domestic routes and is focussing on gradually ramping up its regional and domestic services. We'll keep you posted!

Compensation for flight delay or cancellation >>

South African Airways: Domestic flights remain canceled, while six regional flights will be reinstated!

South Africa's flag carrier airline, South African Airways, has announced its intention to resume flights to Accra, Lagos, Lusaka, Maputo, Windhoek and Harare, with effect from 19 November 2019. The airline will seek to rebook customers travelling on other regional routes (points on the African Continent) wherever possible.
South African Airways has extended its cancelled domestic flights for 19 November 2019 and 20 November 2019. The airline continues to work with its partner airlines, Mango and Airlink, to rebook all customers travelling on domestic services.
South African Airways' international flights are fully operational and customers are able to travel as booked.
Customers are requested not to travel to their departure airport unless they are in possession of a rebooked itinerary. Customers seeking a refund or wishing to rebook their travel on a future service operated by South African Airways have until 30 November 2019 to finalise their arrangements.

Compensation for flight delay or cancellation >>

South African Airways reintroduces international flights from 18 November 2019 and extends cancellations of domestic and regional flights

South Africa's flag carrier airline, South African Airways, has announced that it is aiming to operate all international flights, departing from OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg, with effect from 17 November 2019. Departures from South African Airways' international stations, including London, New York, Washington, Munich, Frankfurt and Hong Kong, are expected to operate from 18 November 2019. The first departure from São Paulo is expected to operate on 17 November 2019, while the first departure from Perth is expected to operate on 19 November 2019. The airline's domestic and regional flights scheduled for 17 November 2018 and 18 November 2019 will remain cancelled. South African Airways is working with Mango to to re-accommodate as many customers as possible travelling on domestic services and with Airlink on regional services.
The extension of cancellations is a result of ongoing industrial action by the South African Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA).

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South African Airways cancels most flights on 15 & 16 November 2019 ahead of strike!

South Africa's flag carrier airline, South African Airways, has has cancelled nearly all its domestic, regional and international flights scheduled for 15 November 2019 and 16 November 2019. The cancellations follow an announcement by the South African Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) that their members will embark on industrial action starting in the morning hours of 15 November 2019. The two unions are unhappy with South African Airways' restructuring plans which it announced this week in a bid to keep it afloat. Only flights operated by South African Airways will be affected. All flights operated on partner airlines, including SA Express, Mango, SA Airlink and all codeshare partners, including flights operated by our Star Alliance partner airlines will not be affected.

• Regional flights, which will operate on Friday morning (15 November 2019), will return from Maputo (SA147), Lusaka (SA067), Harare (SA025), Windhoek (SA073), and Accra (SA210).
• International flights, which will operate on Friday evening (15 November 2019), will return from Frankfurt (SA261), New York (SA204), Munich (SA265), Hong Kong (SA287), Perth (SA281), Washington D.C. (SA210) and London (SA235).

Compensation for flight delay or cancellation >>

South Africa: Translux services have been temporarily suspended due to a strike action by bus drivers! [update]

update (02 October 2019): Translux just announced that the strike has come to an end. This was due to safety concerns for drivers following the unfortunate killing of a driver and injury of another driver.

update (30 September 2019): The bus drivers are still on strike!

Translux, a South African luxury long distance scheduled inter-city bus operator, just announced on Facebook that its services in South Africa and Mozambique have been temporarily suspended due to strike action that resumed late afternoon on 25 September 2019. The management of Translux advises customers to make alternative travel arrangements until further notice. Pre-booked and paid passengers are advised to keep their tickets for future travel as there are no refunds payable at this stage. Due to the strike action, there are also currently no tickets sold at any of Translux' sales offices and retail partners. We'll keep you posted!

Translux is a wholly owned subsidiary of Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa). The luxury long distance scheduled inter-city bus operator services more than 100 destinations throughout South Africa and Mozambique.

Kenya: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi to face strike action! [update]

update (06 February 2019): The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (Kawu) has called off the strike that was scheduled to start today.

update (05 February 2019): According to a tweet by Kenyan low cost-carrier Fly540, the strike at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) in Nairobi is set to start on 06 February 2019 and not today (05 February 2019). We'll keep you posted!

The Kenya Aviation Workers Union (Kawu) has issued a 7-day strike notice in opposition to planned takeover of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi by Kenya Airways. Members of the union, including the airport's ground staff, are expected to boycott their duties from 05 February 2019. Duty-free shops, inflight functions and cargo operations are also expected to join the strike action. According to the Kawu, they fear that the takeover will render most its members jobless
Kenya Airways has proposed the formation of a subsidiary dedicated to managing operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for a concession period of 30 years.

Cape Town: Cableway’s half-price Sunset Special returns!

Cape Town's Table Mountain Aerial Cableway will again introduce the annual Sunset Special. From 01 November 2018 to 19 December 2018, and from 03 January 2019 until 28 February 2019, return tickets for the Cableway are half price after 18:00. This excludes the festive season from 20 December 2018 until 02 January 2019. Tickets will be available for purchase online and from Cableway's ticket office at the Lower Cableway Station from 01 November 2018. This special is available to South Africans with valid South African IDs only. Please note that it is not advisable to use the free park-and-ride MyCiTi bus service for the Sunset Special as the service runs until 19:00 only.

KwaZulu-Natal: KZN Sharks Board strike continues - most beaches not safe for swimming!

The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence (KZNSB) is still experiencing industrial action with its labour force. Due to the limited forces available, the organisation has had to temporarily reduce the number of protected beaches in KwaZulu-Natal. Bathing is currently open at the following beaches:

• North Coast: Salt Rock Beach, Willards Beach (Ballito Bay main beach), Umhlanga Rocks main beach.
• Durban: Ushaka to Bay of North Beach inclusive
• South Coast: Amanzimtoti Main Beach, Scottburgh, St Michaels, Uvongo, Margate Main Beach, Ramsgate, Southbroom, San Lameer. 

Visitors to the beaches are requested to check with the lifeguards prior to entering the water at any of the non-mentioned beaches.

The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence (KZNSB) maintains shark nets and drum lines off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal to protect bathers and surfers from shark attacks at a total of 37 beaches. Most of the shark nets deployed by the KZNSB are 214m long and 6m deep and are secured at each end by two 35kg anchors; all have a stretched mesh of 51cm. The nets are laid in two parallel rows approximately 400m offshore and in water depths of 10-14m. 

KwaZulu-Natal: KZN Sharks Board strike continues - most beaches not safe for swimming!

The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence (KZNSB) is still experiencing industrial action with its labour force. Due to the limited forces available, the organisation has had to temporarily reduce the number of protected beaches in KwaZulu-Natal. Bathing is currently open at the following beaches:

• North Coast: Willards Beach (Ballito Bay main beach), Umhlanga Rocks main beach
• Durban: Ushaka to Bay of Plenty Beach inclusive
• South Coast: St Michaels, Uvongo, Lucien, Margate, Ramsgate, Southbroom, San Lameer
  

Visitors to the beaches are requested to check with the lifeguards prior to entering the water at any of the non-mentioned beaches.

The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence (KZNSB) maintains shark nets and drum lines off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal to protect bathers and surfers from shark attacks at a total of 37 beaches. Most of the shark nets deployed by the KZNSB are 214m long and 6m deep and are secured at each end by two 35kg anchors; all have a stretched mesh of 51cm. The nets are laid in two parallel rows approximately 400m offshore and in water depths of 10-14m.

KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board: Most beaches in KwaZulu-Natal closed due to industrial action!

update (02 September 2018): According to the latest media update (31 August 2018), the KZN Sharks Board is still experiencing industrial action with its labour force. Due to the limited forces available, the organisation has had to temporarily reduce the number of protected beaches. Bathing is currently open at the following beaches:

• North Coast: Willards Beach (Ballito Bay main beach), Umhlanga Rocks main beach.
• Durban: Ushaka to Bay of Plenty Beach inclusive
• South Coast: St Michaels, Uvongo, Lucien, Margate, Ramsgate, Southbroom, San Lameer.

According to media release by the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence (KZNSB), the organisation is currently experiencing industrial action with its labour force. Due to the strike, the KZNSB has had to temporarily reduce the number of protected beaches in KwaZulu-Natal it is able to service with the limited resources available. Bathing is currently open at the following beaches:

• North Coast: Willards Beach (Ballito Bay main beach), Umhlanga Rocks main beach.
• Durban: Ushaka to Suncoast Beach inclusive
• South Coast: Hibberdene, Umzumbe, Southport, St Michaels, Uvongo, Lucien, Margate, Ramsgate, Southbroom, San Lameer and Trafalgar.
  

Visitors to the beaches along the coast of KwaZulu-Natal are requested to check with the lifeguards prior to entering the water at any of the non-mentioned beaches. We'll keep you posted!

The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence (KZNSB) maintains shark nets and drum lines off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal to protect bathers and surfers from shark attacks at a total of 37 beaches. Most of the shark nets deployed by the KZNSB are 214m long and 6m deep and are secured at each end by two 35kg anchors; all have a stretched mesh of 51cm. The nets are laid in two parallel rows approximately 400m offshore and in water depths of 10-14m.