Picture: Henk Kruger/ANA
Pretoria - Cosatu has indicated it will hold a national strike on August 24 against the escalating food prices, fuel costs, and load shedding.
The trade union made the announcement on its Twitter page on Monday, inviting the media to a briefing on Thursday.
#COSATU Media Briefing on Thursday to announce a planned National Strike for next week Wednesday (24 August 2022)
— @COSATU Today (@_cosatu) August 15, 2022
The details of the media briefing are as follows:
• Date: 18 August
• Time: 11h00
• Venue: COSATU House, 110 Jorissen Street, Braamfontein. @Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/0wPz0mNXpL
In a statement posted on its website, Cosatu said the protest also represented workers who were treated unfairly by their employers.
“This socio-economic strike also represents a push back and a response by the workers to the ongoing class warfare directed at them by both public and private sector employers.”
Cosatu’s announcement comes a week after the South African Federation Trade Union (Saftu) indicated it too would embark on a national shutdown against rising cost of living and other issues affecting the working class on August 24.
“The country is marching towards a precipice, and if the working class is not organised around a programme, and even an organ, it will be used by intra-factions of capitalism for their own end,” said Saftu spokesperson Trevor Shaku.
In July, protests over the escalating cost of fuel erupted in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
The two provinces experienced disturbances on major roads as taxis and trucks took part in a protest.
Fuel prices rose by more than R2 a litre for diesel and petrol in July. South Africans living inland now pay around R25 for a litre of petrol and just over R27 for a litre of diesel.
Coastal cities pay about a rand less than those living in inland provinces.
However, motorists could be in for a big petrol price cut in September as global oil prices have fallen over fears of weakening fuel demand due to the looming recession.
Investec chief economist Annabel Bishop said domestic fuel prices could be reduced further next month as oil prices were down more than 20% from the June high.
“International oil and petroleum products prices have dropped from mid-June, with the Brent crude oil price at $99.70 per barrel from $123.60 per barrel in June.
“Another petrol price cut is building for South Africa in September, of around R3 per litre, after the cut announced for August,’’ Bishop said.
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