Pretoria - Workers affiliated to Cosatu and Saftu gathered in Pretoria to join the national shutdown taking place across different provinces today.
They came in numbers to Burgers Park in the morning and are now heading to the Union Buildings.
Chanting songs as they march through the inner-city, workers expressed determination to take a fight against the rising unemployment rate and high cost of living to the government’s doorstep.
Participants were determined to continue with the march despite a warning by the Department of Public Service that essential workers were barred from taking part in the strike action during working hours.
The department said although the strike action was protected by law the principle for “no work, no pay"would be applied by the respective departments for “absence of a full day” at work.
It also said leave would be strictly managed and no leave will be granted except under extreme situations.
Traffic in the inner-city came to a standstill as marchers thronged the streets on their way to the seat of government to hand over a memorandum of demands.
The SAPS and Tshwane metro police officers kept an eye on the march to maintain order and control traffic in all affected streets, which included Francis Baard, Nana Sita, Visagie, Pretorius, Helen Joseph, Madiba, Sisulu, Du Toit, Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko, among others.
Workers held up placards capturing socio-economic issues affecting the cost of living as they marched in the capital City.
Some of the placards bore messages against the high fuel prices and called on the government to end the trend.
“Stop fuel hikes, now they suffocate workers,” read one message.
Marchers also called on the government to abstain from taxing basic food items and putting profit before the people.
“We demand that the solar panel programme for indigent households should be implemented now,” one of the workers said.
Many bemoaned the fact that the poor had to bear the brunt of the high electricity pricing, also saying that the scourge of poverty and inequality must be addressed urgently.
Meanwhile, the Gauteng Department of Education said schooling in the province has gone uninterrupted amidst the planned national shutdown.
In a media statement the department said positive reports were received from districts across the province stating that learning and teaching has not been disrupted at schools.
“However, our districts have communicated a challenge of average learner attendance in some schools. Therefore, we appeal to parents and guardians to ensure their children attend class on all school days,” the department said.
Gauteng Education MEC Mr Panyaza Lesufi said: “We are preparing to facilitate preliminary examinations for matriculants and, as such, we appeal that schools must not be disrupted during this preparation process. As it stands, we have limited teaching days before learners write their final examinations.”
The DA, on the other hand, slammed Cosatu for the demonstration, saying if the federation were really serious about addressing the cost of living crisis “it would ditch the ANC, not plead with its abuser to change their ways”.
The South African National Taxi Council had this week distanced the taxi industry from the shutdown despite numerous requests to participate in it.
Pretoria News