South African Airways (SAA) said Wednesday it was cancelling all its flights as thousands of workers vowed to press ahead with an indefinite strike the following day, after the troubled national carrier announced a major retrenchment plan.
The looming shutdown forced SAA to announce in a late-night statement on Wednesday that it "has cancelled nearly all its domestic, regional and international flights scheduled for Friday, November 15 and Saturday, November 16".
"We are embarking on the mother of all strikes," Zazi Nsibanyoni-Mugambi, president of the South African Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) told a news conference in Johannesburg.