A trip by the president of the Confederation of African Football (Caf), Issa Haiyatou, to Nelspruit’s Mbombela 2010 Stadium in Mpumalanga, was called off when the construction workers at the stadium went on strike for the second time in two weeks.

The workers went on strike on Friday, the day when Haiyatou and other delegates were scheduled to visit the stadium to assess the progress made .

The visit to the site had to be cancelled fearing for the delegation’s safety.

Haiyatou and other top African football delegates are in Mpumalanga for the Cosafa games.

This time the workers are protesting over project bonuses. Two weeks ago angry workers protested, among others, about the employers’ non-adherence to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

George Ledwaba, the organiser of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), said their demands, including the annual bonuses and traveling allowances, have not been met. Ledwaba said their action on Friday was not to distract the Caf president from coming to the stadium, claiming that he was not even aware of Haiyatou’s visit to the site.

“We are loyal to the government but at what expense.” “A hungry man is an angry man,” read some of the placards carried by the protesters.

The strike at the stadium started last week but was temporarily suspended after an agreement was reached between management of Mbombela Stadium Joint Venture and two unions, NUM and the Building Construction and Allied Workers Union (BCAWU).

The agreement was that the workers go back to work while the management and union were looking at ways of resolving the matter.

“A series of meetings between the management and unions were held since last week, but no agreement has been reached.

“We will continue to strike until our demands are met,” said Ledwaba.

Differ Mogale, the provincial 2010 coordinator, said he hoped that the conflict between the workers and employers was resolved soon so that work at the stadium can resume.