Strike threat for local airline, and R5.1 billion Prasa ‘negligence’

Here’s what is happening in and affecting South Africa today:

• SAA strike threat: The SA Cabin Crew Association (Sacca), which is trying to regain recognition at SAA, plans to march to the airline’s head office at the OR Tambo International Airport on Friday over wasteful expenditure and corrupt practices. Further marches are planned for November 22 and 29, as well as December 6. [BusinessDay]

• Prasa ‘negligence’: A high court report found that negligence in the rail agency’s integrated security project resulted in widespread theft and vandalism, noting that Prasa ‘negligence’ has led to damage of R5.1 billion. [Mail&Guardian]

• Government must pay up: Cooperative Governance Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has lamented government departments that haven’t paid their bills. Government departments, national and provincial, now owe municipalities more than R29 billion in unpaid bills. Hlabisa said he’s written to all departments who owe water boards to settle their debts by the end of December, failing which treasury will be asked to redirect money from their allocations to the owed municipalities. [EWN]

• Border shut down again: Protesters again blocked Mozambique’s main border crossing with South Africa on Thursday after operations had resumed earlier in the day. Demonstrators on the Mozambican side, angered by the result of the country’s election last month, blocked the route, with vehicles in the late afternoon still unable to enter, according to the highway operator. The border that connects South Africa’s industrial heartland with the Maputo port — Mozambique’s biggest — had earlier restarted processing cargo. [Bloomberg]

• Markets: The rand has traded turbulently, having lost almost 5% against the greenback, since the U.S. election last week, with investors expecting Trump’s policies to bring higher short-term economic growth and also potentially inflationary pressures. On Friday (15 November), the rand was trading at R18.26 to the dollar, R23.16 to the pound, and R19.25 to the euro. Oil is trading at $71.94 a barrel. [Reuters]