Most sectors of the economy are expected to be hit by a stayaway on Thursday in support of the Congress of South African Trade Unions’ jobs and poverty campaign.
The one-day strike will take place countrywide, the union federation said on Wednesday.
It is making several demands including the creation of decent, well-paid and secure jobs on a massive scale.
It wants employers to stop casualising and outsourcing jobs, and retailers to develop local production instead of looking to imports.
Another demand is that the government do more to drive a development strategy that creates a large amount of work.
Cosatu wants the government to act against speculative capital inflows driving up the rand and negatively affecting the country’s export industries.
Marches on Thursday will be held in various cities and towns. They include George, Port Elizabeth, East London, Mthatha, Brits, Rustenburg, Johannesburg, Lephalale, Polokwane, Nelspruit, Durban, Newcastle, Bloemfontein, Kimberley, and Upington.
Meanwhile, the city of Cape Town — spooked by protest violence on Tuesday — has banned the Cosatu march, a move the federation says it will respect.
”The Western Cape march will not take place,” Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi told the South African Press Association on Wednesday night. ”But our strike against job losses goes on.”
Earlier in the day, Cabinet members and MPs from across the political spectrum condemned Tuesday’s rampage through central Cape Town by striking security guards.
”These actions are not only inimical to the interests of the workers, but also undermine the freedoms enshrined in our Constitution,” government spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe said after a Cabinet meeting in Cape Town.
His statement came as Cosatu sought to blame police for provoking ”innocent” strikers.
Netshitenzhe said government welcomed the firm action taken by law enforcement agencies to deal with the violence.
”We cannot allow a situation, however genuine the grievances might be, you cannot allow a situation in which people break the law, destroy property, threatening….”
In the National Assembly, several parties condemned the violence.
”It has left a sour taste in our mouths,” African National Congress MP Rebecca Kasienyane said during debate on the labour budget vote.
The Democratic Alliance’s Mark Lowe said Tuesday’s violence demonstrated the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) had lost control of its members, and showed Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana’s failure of leadership.
Cape Town city authorities on Wednesday put plans for an interdict against Cosatu’s march on hold.
Mayoral spokesperson Robert MacDonald said the council’s lawyers had approached the High Court, but that a judge had said the council was already protected by revoking permission.
They had however been assured that if people did start to gather for the march, an interdict would be granted ”immediately”.
MacDonald said there would be a strong police presence on Thursday to monitor the situation.
The city had decided to claim damages from Satawu following Tuesday’s violence, and would help members of the public who suffered at the hands of the strikers to do the same.
Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven said the federation’s Western Cape leadership had evaluated ”the unfortunate happenings” of Tuesday.
”We sincerely apologise to the public and all persons negatively affected as a result of these acts, that have taken place during our march,” he said.
Also on Wednesday, 37 unionists arrested during Tuesday’s rampage were granted bail when they appeared in the local magistrate’s court.
Thirty-six of them face charges of public violence; Satawu regional secretary Evan Abrahamse faces charges under the Regulation of Gatherings Act related to his
allegedly not meeting his legal obligations as a convenor of Tuesday’s march.
He was released on R1 000 bail on condition that he does not act as formal convenor of any other Satawu march or demonstration — a prohibition which does however allow him to take part in marches and to help organise them.
Among the other unionists held overnight was Cosatu Western Cape general secretary Tony Ehrenreich, who was released on R2 000 bail. The remaining 35 men and one woman were granted bail of R500 each.
Magistrate Herman van der Merwe postponed the cases of all 37 to July 7 for further investigation.
The chairperson of Satawu in the Western Cape, Jerome Fortune, said Satawu members would probably lay charges of assault against the police. – Sapa