Fix the economy!

Thabazimbi – The Confederation of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) members and affiliates staged a protest in Thabazimbi on Friday 8 October. 

The demonstration was part of a nationwide push by the federation for a better economy and improved job opportunities. As part of their nationwide demands, Cosatu urged government and the private sector to fix the economy, stop the wage freezes in the public sector, to investigate the assassination of whistle-blowers and the collapse of key public services. Cosatu also called for a reversal of budget cuts. 

The protestors marched at Thaba Mall before handing over a memorandum to the Department of Labour and the Thabazimbi Local Municipality.

The National Employers Association of South Africa (NEASA) was critical of the Cosatu-led strike and fears the damage such protests could have on the economy. Dismissing the protest, chief executive officer at NEASA Gerhard Papenfus said Cosatu had run out of ideas and no longer had an impact on the national discourse. 

NEASA will carry out a survey to establish the extent of the protest’s impact on businesses.
Employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi noted that dialogue between all the parties is important, especially in this sensitive period of mass unemployment and retrenchments.

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