Gauteng will not pay an extra R1.3 billion to have the first phase of the Gautrain completed before the 2010 World Cup.

ABSA Capital’s Infrastructure Equity Investments has acquired a direct 8% shareholding in the Gautrain.

Angry Mbombela Stadium workers allegedly burnt a heavy duty truck, two motorbikes and a mobile guard house on Wednesday after they were dismissed.

Construction once again came to a grinding halt as a result of a labour dispute that saw 500 employees dismissed. The stadium is already 60 days behind schedule owing to a number of previous protests.

Police spokesman Dawie Pretorius said no one had been arrested. He said police had identified some suspects who would face the might of the law.

“The suspects face charges of malicious damage to property, arson and public violence,” Pretorius said.

NUM spokesman George Ledwaba said the strike, which started last Friday, was in protest against management’s threat not to pay the promised R1500 performance bonus if workers did not agree to work night shift at an allowance of R120 a month. Ledwaba said workers would only agree to work for an allowance of R800 a month.

Basil Read and Bouygues Civil Works said in a statement that they had terminated the employment contracts of all employees who took part in the strike with immediate effect.

“We have taken a difficult but necessary decision to dismiss these employees.”

The strike by construction workers at the Mbombela 2010 soccer stadium in Nelspruit has entered its fifth day