Durban's striking bus drivers and waste collectors threaten to bring the city to a standstill

According to reports on 16 October 2008, Durban's striking bus drivers and waste collectors have threatened to bring the city to a standstill if authorities continue to reject their application to hold a march in the city center. The workers have attempted to hold the march on three separate occasions, but their application has been rejected each time for undisclosed reasons. On 15 October bus drivers and local police officers engaged in a tense standoff in Durban's Botha Gardens when the workers were notified of the latest rejection. The bus drivers began their strike on 22 September, demanding that the municipality take over the city's bus operations; waste collectors joined the strike in solidarity with the drivers soon thereafter.