Cape Town - As the country’s biggest trade union federations Cosatu and the South African Federation Trade Unions (Saftu) held united national shutdown marches across the country on Wednesday, this was not the case in Cape Town.
Cosatu in the Western Cape embarked on its own march, where members protested outside the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) offices, calling for the rail agency to explain their failure to respond to a 2020 list of grievances.
Last month Cosatu, joined by other affiliates, had marched against the high cost of living and high levels of crime. Among their demands is a “functional, timeous, accessible, affordable and integrated public transport system”.
“In 2020 we came here to Prasa and delivered a memorandum, to date no response in any form has been given. Today we are here to collect the response we submitted.
“We have now spoken with the Prasa management demanding that the answer be in writing and also detail what they have accomplished since 2020 in terms of improving safety and ensuring trains are back in the different corridors.
“Cosatu in this province is having its own march, this is not a shutdown. It has a socio-economic strike nationally and those marches in other provinces are taking place,” said Cosatu provincial spokesperson Malvern de Bruyn.
Prasa acting group chief executive officer David Mphelo said progress has been made in recovering the rail infrastructure following its destruction at the hands of criminal syndicates.
Just a few metres from the Cosatu demonstration Saftu was protesting outside the Civic Centre against the high cost of living, unemployment, rising fuel prices and power cuts.
They also moved to the provincial legislature and Parliament.
This is a developing story.
Cape Times