News24 reports that a march to an old age home in Pretoria turned tense on Wednesday following a heated stand-off between residents, an Afrikaner group and the EFF.
Around 100 members of the EFF marched to the Huis Herfsblaar retirement home in Queenswood to protest over what it called racism and unfair labour practices. While the EFF were marching, a number of residents and members of the Bittereinders, led by pop singer Steve Hofmeyr's son Devon, gathered outside an open field adjacent to the old age home. As the EFF arrived, the residents and Bittereinders formed a barricade in the middle of the road just past the old age home. The EFF, who were not obstructed by the group at the gates of the old age home, then decided that they would walk through the community blockade. A line of police officers stood between the two groups as insults, some of which were racial, were hurled at one another. Both groups made threats of violence. After the tense stand-off, the EFF moved back to Huis Herfsblaar, where they delivered a memorandum of demands. The EFF accused the old age home of unfair discrimination, including that black workers were passed up for promotions, compelled to speak Afrikaans, and had less annual leave than their white counterparts. They demanded full compliance of labour legislation; the immediate termination of the security guards hired by the old age home following a strike by workers; and open engagement with the employer on behalf of the employees. Huis Herfsblaar had earlier in the month obtained an interdict against some of the workers for the unlawful strike action. The old age home accepted the memorandum.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alex Mitchley and view a video at News24
- Read too, EFF protest at Huis Herfsblaar retirement home demanding fair treatment of black staff, at Pretoria News
- En ook, Aftreeoord bekom interdik teen stakers, by Maroela Media
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