[2007-07-02]  Sauth Africa Strike Not Hurting Country
The public service strike in South Africa, which is in its third week, has not had any negative impact on Botswana despite the latter's economic dependence on its neighbour.

Mmegi investigations in Gaborone found that retail shops that import most of their products from South Africa have not been affected. Management at Pick N' Pay and Payless chain stores said yesterday that business was normal and their goods were arriving at their destinations in time. General Manager of Shoprite regional office Sven Eckhoff also said that the strike has not affected their business. "Everything is normal," he said. Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Health, Colo Boitshoko, also said that the strike has not affected patients referred to South Africa. He explained that their patients are only referred to private hospitals and not government-run hospitals.


Botswana Police Public Relations Officer Solomon Mantswe also confirmed that the strike has not affected their links with their South African counterparts. He said that so far they have not had any problems.

A Mmegi reporter who was in a party that had travelled to Libya last week, and only returned yesterday, said that everything was normal at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, which is the biggest and busiest in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).

South Africa's 700,000 public service employees went into strike early this month demanding a 12 percent salary increment, which government rejected and offered 7.5 percent. Teachers, nurses, customs officers and the police are among the striking employees.


Source: All Africa