The marathon dispute over municipal wage increases and other issues is close to the finish line, with last-ditch talks taking place in Johannesburg on Tuesday expected to result in a settlement.
Highly-placed sources hinted on Monday night that either of the two parties might succumb to pressure from the other.
After Monday night's talks failed to bear fruit, sources confidently said that a deal was on the cards.
"Salga (the South African Local Government Association) might drag things a little bit because the association has been told by top government figures that there are anarchists within the union who need to be taught a lesson," said a source.
Besides this, it is believed Salga wants to test the strength of the union to see if the workers are prepared to carry on with the strike.
On the other hand, sources say, top figures in the union are hell-bent on using the strike to popularise themselves in preparation for the union's national congress next year.
Nevertheless, should a resolution be reached on Tuesday, the two-week national strike, which has brought the country's municipal services to its knees, will come to an end.
Salga is expected to budge from its initial 8 percent offer and accede to the revised 9 percent demand by the South African Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu).
Apparently concerned about the "no work, no pay" principle of the strike, the union began late last week to show signs of backtracking on its initial demand of 10 percent.
At the negotiations Samwu tabled a motion that, in addition to the revised 9 percent, the workers wanted the minimum wage upped from R1 900 to R2 100 - not the R2 200 previously demanded.
Salga is expected to succumb to pressure from Samwu, four other Cosatu-affiliated unions, Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana, and the fact that the strike has disrupted municipal services.
The following resolutions are expected:
- The lowest-paid workers should earn a basic salary of R2 100.
- There should be a 9 percent wage increase for all municipal employees.
- There should be more discussions on whether these agreements should be fixed over the next three years (the union wants annual negotiations.)
But as the biggest and probably the most violent strike action since the ANC came to power seven years ago nears an end, the government will be counting the costs.
A total of more than 220 000 workers have stayed away from work in their respective local authorities since July 2.
Municipalities have had to rely on a limited number of casual and contract workers in an attempt to provide services to ratepayers and residents.
Not all the services could be provided through 'scab labour'.
There were no municipal buses in the Ethekwini unicity as drivers downed keys.
Refuse has been piling up in unprecedented proportions, particularly in the Umhlanga, Verulam and Tongaat areas, as the contracted rubbish collectors have been busy elsewhere.
Scores of workers were injured during the strike, and it remains to be seen how many will face disciplinary action for their part in it.