A wave of strikes hits Durban and spread countrywide

On 9 January 1973 around 2 000 workers in the Coronation Brick and Tile factory in Durban downed tools after the employers rejected their demand for a wage increase from R8,97 to R30 per week. Subsequently, workers in various sectors around Durban also went on strike demanding higher wages and better working conditions. For instance, on 10 January workers at A.J Keeler Transport went on strike and other strikes followed between the 15 and 24 January. British-controlled Frame group with several textile plants suffered as the wave of strikes spread. The wave of strikes that hit Durban, and the rate at which they spread revealed a new force which many employers had not been prepared. Wide media coverage of the striking workers caused an outcry from various quarters including the White public, and government at the shockingly low wages being paid to workers. The police gesture surprised many people as they kept a low profile. These strikes spread to Pietermaritzburg, Richard’s Bay, Johannesburg and other cities during the year.