Bus drivers in the Pietermaritzburg areas have been targeted for attack in the last nine months. The drivers – members of the Transport and General Workers Union – believe there are several reasons for this. Firstly, they were blamed for the success of the stayaway on 5 and 6 May last year, since, without busses, even workers who opposed the stayaway could not get to work. Secondly, the busdrivers are very vulnerable to attacks as they drive alone in outlying areas. Thirdly, the busdrivers are a powerful force in the Cosatu Local. They have been organised since the early 1980s, and have helped organise many other workplaces since. An attack on the busdrivers is thus an attack on COSATU in Pietermaritzburg. T&GWU wrote to the following account.
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