27 Aug 2009
A march on government buildings by South African troops who demand higher pay has worried authorities, prompting an investigating into the affair.

More than 1,000 soldiers from Pretoria barracks approached the Union Buildings, which houses the president's office, on Wednesday in the countries latest campaign for higher pay.

Police dispersed the troops, who are campaigning for the highest demand so far -- a 30% pay rise --, with rubber bullets and teargas.

The strike has sparked concerns over the country's national security, with Defense Minister Lindiwe Sisulu saying that the defenseless bases that the troops had abandoned could have been exposed "to potential raids by criminals".

A wave of job boycotts has gripped the financially-challenged country since President Jacob Zuma took office in May this year. He has made several economically challenging concessions to nip the crippling strikes in the industrial and public sectors.

"Our position is that the march was illegal. The union needs to take responsibility for the actions of their members," ministry spokesman Ndhivuwo Mabhaya told AFP on Wednesday.

Sisulu announced that all of the participating soldiers would be suspended without pay.

The government has criticized the army strike, stressing that the military requires that personnel abide by a set of rules different from that of other sectors.

The country's largest walkout was by nearly of municipal workers, including city police. The workers settled for a 13% pay rise.

State power firm Eskom, with the country's largest union, threatened earlier this month to have all members on strike and to cut power across the country -- an economically crippling venture that could bring work to a halt in the country's gold mines.

But the union later said an agreement over pay and housing policy had helped avert the strike.

presstv