SABC News reports that Over a hundred employees have embarked on a strike at all nature reserves managed by the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency. That’s after the agency announced that it’s facing financial difficulties and plans to implement cost-cutting measures, including job cuts. The strike has forced the MTPA to temporarily close all its nature reserves, leaving tourists wishing to visit the sites with no choice but to look elsewhere.

Operations have been disrupted at over 17 nature reserves under the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency. Employees have downed tools at most of the province’s tourist attractions destinations. They are demanding, among others, that temporary employees be hired permanently. This place is one of the sites that usually attracts thousands of domestic and international tourists weekly,
and now, looks deserted. The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) represents the striking workers. It says operations will remain disrupted until its members’ demands are met.

“No to scaling down to workers in the form of temporary workers. We are not going to agree on that. For those temporary workers, we want them to be employed permanently when the contract being temporary workers lapses.  We want them to be permanent, we also want the employees who are acting to be paid for acting and the issue of working on weekends and public holidays to be paid in a monetary value, not in terms of times off,” says Nehawu provincial secretary, Welcome Mnisi. The agency says the strike is illegal.

MTPA Acting CEO Justus Mohlala says ” I do not have any formal demand that is on my desk, which I should be attending to but it is all that I hear as I am discussing or getting those sms and WhatsApp messages and there is a voicenote that instigated this illegal strike and that’s all we know. I have nothing on my table.” The nature reserves in the province have not been operational for over four days.

The MTPA considers this strike as a huge financial blow. ” The situation is dire we are here at the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve. This is one of the prime attraction centres for domestic and international tourists. indeed, we are losing quite a lot of revenue as compared to when you look at what we collected in December time. I may not be specific in terms of rands and cents but I can tell you the impact is massive.” The MTPA and NEHAWU are expected to meet on Monday afternoon to find a way forward.