THE Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) picketed outside the mineral resources and energy department’s offices in Sunnyside, Tshwane, on Friday, 22 July.
The federation members said they were gatvol of high fuel prices, low wage increments for public servants, the high rate of youth unemployment, the high crime rate and poor health services.
They said the country was being run into the ground by corrupt public officials. They demanded that the ministers of the economic cluster restart the economy within six months or be fired, starting with Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan.
The Gauteng Cosatu deputy chairman, Thabang Sonyathi, said the federation wanted Eskom to be placed under the mineral resources and energy department and for the process of unbundling the power utility to be stopped. “The high price of fuel is having an impact on our food prices.
“We decided to start with rolling mass action over these high prices.”
He said the government should consider using foreign currency reserves to bring relief to South Africans.
Abram Mashishi, the Tshwane regional chairman of South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco), said the organisation supported Cosatu as the issues the federation was raising directly affected communities.
“We represent the community and they are part of us,” he said.
“This is affecting working class and ordinary citizens. We want to see the government subsidising fuel levies, food and electricity.”
Cosatu said it was preparing for a national shutdown on 7 October. The federation said President Cyril Ramaphosa must resolve the problems facing the country urgently.
Cosatu handed memorandums of demand to mineral resources department senior manager Nhlanhlenhle Chonco, National Treasury senior manager Lutendo Ramalebana and labour department acting deputy director-general Thembinkosi Mkhaliphi.
