Leoni Kruger LEPHALALE — The strike at Shoprite last week led to the arrest of 25 Shoprite employees on Thursday 29 March.  The employees are members of the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (SACCAWU), a trade union in South Africa and an affiliate of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).  According to Warrant Officer Frans Mokoena from Lephalale Cluster, around 50 protestors got out of hand in the presence of members of Lephalale Public Order Policing (POP) and the strike started to become aggressive. They were about ten metres away from the Shoprite building.  The police dispatched the crowd with rubber bullets and 25 people were arrested. According to WO Mokoena, the picketing was about salaries, late working hours and casual employees.  Some of the rules of the Council for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) regarding picketing are:  Employees may picket outside a stand-alone store, providing that there are no more than 20 picketers at any one time and they are not less than 10 meters from the store entrance in places designated by local management.  Picketers may not block the entrance to the store or centre, whether in person or by any other means.  Picketers may not obstruct or hamper adjacent businesses or stores.  The suspects were charged for the contravention of the Labour Relations Act, Act 66/1995.  The SACCAWU general strike started on Wednesday 28 March.

LEPHALALE — Linda Vorster het in Maart vanjaar uitgetree ná 29 jaar diens by D’Nyala Natuurreservaat. Mogol Pos het by haar gaan kuier en meer gehoor van haar kleurryke, interessante 29 jaar.

Linda se loopbaan het begin as tiksterklerk by die Polisie in Ellisras en in dié tyd het sy aansoek gedoen vir ʼn pos by D’Nyala se ontvangs.

“Op daardie stadium was D’Nyala ʼn geslote plek en nie oop vir die publiek nie. Dit was aanvanklik net oop vir regeringsamptenare maar dit is later oopgestel vir al die staatsdepartemente,” sê Linda.

Sy het al die besprekings hanteer en was verantwoordelik vir elf bosberade waaronder dié van die voormalige Staatspresident, FW de Klerk en sy kabinet. In 1994 is onderhandelinge vir KODESA by D’Nyala gehou met Suid-Afrika se huidige Staatspresident, Cyril Ramaphosa en Roelf Meyer. Linda sê sy was deur die jare getuie van verskeie onderhandelings en belangrike vergaderings en baie trots op dié spogreservaat.

Die agteruitgang van dié pragtige reservaat het in 1994 begin toe die Departement van Ekonomiese Ontwikkeling reservate aan Limpopo Parke en Toerisme oorgegee het om te bestuur. Hulle het hulle eie personeel aangestel en Linda het ʼn plan gemaak om vir haar ʼn pos te skep, naamlik dié van vervoerbeampte – dieselfde pos waarin sy tot en met haar uittrede was.

Sy was in beheer van D’Nyala se voertuie, die instandhouding, ensovoorts, en sy was later ook behulpsaam met ander Waterbergreservate se vervoer.

Linda gaan vir eers net rustig wees en dink oor haar toekoms. Sy het vir 29 jaar alles gegee en geweldig baie geleer van mense en die lewe in al sy fasette.

“Die mense was vir my so besonders. Elkeen is uniek en elke persoon saam met wie ek gewerk het was spesiaal. D’Nyala was my lewe, my alles. Ek het wonderlike jare hier gehad en sal dit vir niks verruil nie,” sê Linda.

Sy bedank veral haar skoondogter, beste vriendin en kollega, Anne-Maree, vir al haar ondersteuning en liefde deur die jare.

Oupa Modirwa is reeds die afgelope agt jaar reservaatbestuurder en hy praat met groot lof van Linda. “She touched many people’s lives. She is never cross and if she is not in the office it is very quiet. You know when she is here. I’ve been with her before the government took over. I trust Linda and it’s been a superb eight years. I wish her a healthy and happy retirement,” sê Oupa.

Die reservaat sal, as alles volgens plan verloop, in April 2018 weer oopgestel word vir die publiek.