South Africa: Price Rise Protest

CHAN:
About 25,000 people marched through the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa yesterday... protesting rising food, fuel and electricity prices. Here's the scene at one of the city's power plants.
STORY:
Thousands of striking South African workers brought mines and businesses to a halt yesterday across four provinces to protest against a jump in electricity, food and fuel prices.

"We are definitely saying we are tired of all this price fixing, price increases. All we want is stabilization in the pricing of all forms of commodities."

The one-day walkout is part of a series of rolling strikes to protest against rising inflation, high interest rates and job cuts after a power crisis engulfed the country this year.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and its allies says its nearly two million members want the government to pay more attention to workers.

Union leaders warned cabinet ministers to fulfill their demands or be swept aside.

[Zwelinzima Vavi, COSATU'S General Secretary]:
"I'm going to ask you comrades when Mugabe arrives in South Africa the first thing we need to tell him is that he is not president of Zimbabwe, he lost the elections. As workers we won't offer service to him, he has to bring his own staff, he needs to bring his own tent where he will sleep."

Unions say their workers should not be made to pay for the government's lack of planning.

The Congress (COSATU) plans to hold a national strike on August 6.

Category:

News & Politics

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• price
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• cosatu
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[InspiredMuse74]

This sounds like the USA. I bet it is much worse there but we have rising prices. Utlity prices have increased by 17.5% and are threatening to rise again. It is time we say enough before this becomes our future!