The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the Mpumalanga Provincial Government to urgently solve grievances raised by employees of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA). This sector and all stakeholders, already affected by Covid-19, may become the biggest casualties of the current NEHAWU strike.
MTPA employees who are affiliated to National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) have been on strike since Tuesday demanding that employees who are acting in certain positions be permanently placed in those positions.
Unfortunately, they have closed all the gates to nature reserves along the Panorama Route which is Mpumalanga’s biggest tourist attraction. Tourists are not allowed access to areas like Kruger National Park, God’s Window, and other tourism areas.
The DA calls on Mpumalanga MEC for Finance & Economic Development, Vusi Mkhatshwa, to urgently engage NEHAWU to find an amicable solution to their grievances as this sector, which has already shed 134 000 jobs during the COVID-19 period, cannot survive another disruption which might further add to the 46.4% expanded unemployment rate in the province.
It must also be remembered that across our country, the tourism sector was the worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the travel bans and the related lockdown which was imposed. Given this harsh reality, our provincial government must devise strategies on how to grow our provincial economy and sustain current jobs in the province.
In his Budget Speech last month, MEC Mkhatshwa projected 3% economic growth for the province this year, but if acts like the NEHAWU/MTPA strikes are not prevented or urgently solved, the province will not achieve any projected economic growth this year.
The DA would also like to apologise to all tourists affected by this strike and the inconvenience caused. The DA will also continue monitoring the situation.