Cosatu members during a march to Union Buildings as part of the national day of action on Lilian Ngoyi Street in Pretoria, 24 August 2022. Picture: Neil McCartney
Members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) have called on government to take workers and the working class in the country seriously.
Cosatu together with the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) on Wednesday protested in various cities across all nine provinces in the country.
The striking labour unions want the government to address what they say is a socio-economic crisis facing South Africans.
ALSO READ: National shutdown off to a slow start, as unions fail to get support from all sectors
Despite the initial slow turnout, many members from various unions gathered at the meeting point in Tshwane in Burgers Park.
Members of the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu) spoke to The Citizen on the sidelines of the march to the Union buildings.
Saccawu member Elijah said government needs to take care of workers and the working class.
“The government must think seriously about the workers because those votes come from the workers’ side. They’ve been voted into power, they must respond on demand of workers and everybody whose poor in South Africa, it’s very urgent,” he said.
READ MORE: National shutdown: Cosatu members call for Ramaphosa to fall
Thomas, another member of the union, admits they are aware that government may not have money.
“At this moment we can say that we are not having money. However, we need to make sure that we look firstly at the companies and make sure that we eradicate corruption, because the money can be there, but sometimes we are having corruption and that’s why we may not even get services.”
This Cosatu member says he is angry at government.
“We are here to demonstrate to the government that we are angry about everything, the fuel hikes and everything that they are doing to us.”
“As Cosatu affiliated workers we are angry about it, we are not happy. The economy is collapsing under Cyril Ramaphosa and we are reiterating our call that Cyril Ramaphosa must actually fall, that’s why we are here.”
Cosatu’s first deputy president Mike Shingange said that they were confident that Wednesday will be a success despite the delays.
“So far were very happy, we are satisfied,” said Shingange.
Earlier, the president of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) Bantu Holomisa shared a tweet about the national shutdown.
“Cosatu please talk to your alliance partners who are messing up our country. Further, don’t encourage voters to vote for these hyenas again,” Holomisa tweeted.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele will be briefing the media immediately after he has received the memorandum from Cosatu.
The briefing is expected to take place in the gardens of the Union Buildings.
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