Cosatu protest delays in Sandton: NatJoints and JMPD warning against ‘lawlessness’

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) is taking its grievances to the steps of the financial giants.

From 9am on Monday, an expected crowd of roughly 1,000 Cosatu members will flood the streets of Sandton in protest over the state of the economy.

Keeping the peace will be the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints) and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), which has declared a zero-tolerance policy toward illegal behaviour.

Disruptions on Grayston and Fredman Drives

Cosatu’s protest is aimed at highlighting “joblessness, poverty and income inequality”.

Protestors will be gathering at George Lea Park on Holt Street from 9am before marching toward the Sandton CBD.

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Members are due to leave the sports grounds at 10am and plan to conclude their protest action by 3pm.

Cosatu leadership will hand memoranda to five government and private sector players.

Their first stop will be the head office of Discovery Health at the corner of Katherine Street and Fredman Drive.

Thereafter, they will move to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and the South African Reserve Bank, sandwiched between stops at the offices of Treasury and the Department of Employment and Labour.

“Motorists are advised to be aware of potential traffic disruptions during these times. JMPD officers will be deployed to assist with traffic management in the Sandton precinct,” stated JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla.

‘Demonstrate peacefully’

While the protest does have provincial shows of solidarity, the focus will be on Johannesburg’s economic centre.

NatJoints will monitor the protests from a national nerve centre and coordinate with local authorities on the ground.

“NatJoints urges workers to gather and demonstrate peacefully within the confines of the law. [We] will not tolerate any lawlessness, blocking of roads and any disruptions,” stated National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.

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