Durban - Hundreds of members of Cosatu and its affiliated unions answered the call for a national shutdown yesterday and gathered in Durban for a march to the city hall from King Dinuzulu Park.
Cosatu members, along with their alliance counterpart the SACP, and affiliate unions, the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) and the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA, marched against the high cost of living and called for urgent government intervention to tackle rising unemployment.
KwaZulu-Natal Cosatu provincial secretary Edwin Mkhize said the government had 14 days to respond after handing over a memorandum of demands to Transport MEC Sipho Hlomuka, who accepted it on behalf of the premier.
Most shops were closed on Dr Pixley KaSeme (West) Street, the march route, but no incidents were reported.
Mkhize, who addressed members at the Durban City Hall, demanded that the government urgently address the issue of rising fuel costs, high electricity tariffs and unemployment.
“We call on the government to introduce strong interventionist measures to deal with rising cost of fuel.
“Our workers are struggling with load shedding and Eskom’s increase in tariffs.
“We want the government to return to the solar-panel programme for indigent households to ease the pressures and cushion the poor from the steep price increases.”
Mkhize called for the government to address the high unemployment rate and give public servants a liveable wage increase.
“South Africa’s unemployment rate climbed to 35%, up from 34% in the fourth quarter of 2021. It was the highest jobless rate since comparable data started in 2008. We call for an end to privatisation and the government to create more jobs for our people. We also call upon the government to give our public servants a proper wage increase and not a 2% increase.”
Public Servants’ Association (PSA)provincial manager Mlungisi Ndlovu said the union supported the march because workers were suffering.
“Employers are refusing to give reasonable increases. The government is offering a 2% increase for public servants while the South African Revenue Service is giving a 1.5% increase, which is below inflation.”
The Sadtu’s provincial secretary, Nomarashiya Caluza, who also addressed the march as a SACP leader, said: “As the SACP, we are marching and fighting side by side with workers. Let us be united as we have nothing to lose.”
Imran Vorajee, a shop owner in the the city, said his shop was open but many others had closed.
“There is fear because of the July unrest, that something like that could happen again. That is why many of my friends closed their shops as a precautionary measure. However, the march is peaceful.
“We sympathise with the protesters as there are socio-economic challenges in South Africa and their concerns are valid.”
Professor Bonke Dumisa, an independent economic analyst, said the shutdown was more of a virtual one.
“The protest action was not well supported and I don’t think it will have a major economic impact. However, it is disappointing that they are speaking about high unemployment rates and at the same time they are taking people away from work to listen to political speeches.
“What about the productivity that is lost for the day, will that not affect companies’ businesses and in turn create less chances for employment?”