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News24 reports that Cosatu and its affiliates embarked on a nationwide strike on Thursday, demanding that the government should take action on the state of the economy, load shedding, poor governance and the bad living standards of workers.
In the Western Cape, about 500 Cosatu members marched to the provincial legislature and then to Parliament, where they handed over a memorandum of their grievances. Workers said they wanted the government to take their concerns about violent crime on the Cape Flats, corruption, job losses, unemployment, and high interest rates and tariffs, seriously. Cosatu's provincial secretary, Malvern de Bruyn, said their memorandum outlined their disappointment in the government's failure to address these concerns. "We want the provincial and national governments to hear us loud and clear on these matters. They must regard this strike as just a first warning of more mass action to follow, should our demands not be heeded," De Bruyn stated. Cosatu gave the government 14 days to respond to its demands or face "more protests". The demands included: fixing unemployment; preventing crime and corruption; ending gender-based violence; reducing interest rates; solving the water and energy crises urgently; and eliminating the gender pay gap in all workplaces. In Durban, hundreds of Cosatu members marched from King Dinizulu park to the eThekwini city hall. Cosatu’s KZN secretary, Edwin Mkhize, said: "We are concerned about the cost of living, which has been persistently increasing, and this is having a negative impact on workers. They are struggling to pay for their home and vehicle loans." He added that the union planned to revive its campaign against some employers' continued use of labour brokers. In Gqeberha, a 200-strong crowd marched from Nangoza Jebe Hall in New Brighton to the city hall in the CBD where a memorandum was handed over to Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Gary van Niekerk.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lisalee Solomons, Nkosikhona Duma & Candice Bezuidenhout at News24
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