Hundreds of commuters in Vhembe were left stranded on Monday, when bus operators affiliated to the Vhembe Bus Operators Association downed tools in a strike action that shook the whole district.

Idle buses in their hundreds were parked at the main bus rank in Thohoyandou, with drivers toyi-toying around the rank. Stranded commuters waiting for connecting trips to their work places and schools were seen lining up at the loading zones at the bus rank. Many did not made it to their destinations as they did not have money to board taxis.

Drivers had a memorandum detailing their grievances that  they wanted to hand over to bus owners, but the owners were not there to receive the memo. The drivers chanted freedom songs for the most part of the day. Among their grievances was the issue of pay, which they said was paltry and not enough for one to make a good living.

“We are leading a miserable life as workers, while our bosses lead a life of luxury. They receive subsidies from government, but instead of paying workers and subsidizing commuters, owners rush to garages and buy big cars while we starve,” said Richard Muofhe, the spokesperson of the organization.

He said they worked under trying conditions but were not well compensated, which left them and their families to suffer. “We have voiced our challenges in a peaceful and honourable way, but it fell on deaf ears as employers do not want to listen to us. We have decided that enough is enough and we will not go back to work if they do not reply to our demands,” he said.

A worker, Samson Madzaga, who works in Sibasa, said he could not go to work as he did not have money to pay for a connecting trip to work. “I am not opposed to the strike, but I am worried about the way it took place. They should have told us that they would not transport us, so that we could arrange alternative transport. Now we do not have money and we are marked as absent from work, but we are sympathetic to the cause of the drivers,” he said.