Nupsaw’s Pretoria protest ends early

The protest that started on Wednesday as a “night vigil”, was planned to last until Friday night, but National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (Nupsaw) ended it early.

Nupsaw national organiser Solly Malema said the first night went well. “It will [however] be our last night.”

Several community caregivers, health workers, expanded public works programme and early childhood development workers took part in the protest.

Malema said the protest was aimed at sending a message of solidarity to “all workers of South Africa as there has never been a time to unite the “oppressed majority in the country”.

“We are living in a country in which just few people own as much wealth as the majority of the poor black population.

“The majority of the country’s population is facing huge challenges from an aggressive and greedy capitalist class,” he said, adding that the country was facing a 53% youth unemployment rate.

“It is the highest in the world. Such catastrophic level of joblessness is the main reason for the outrageous poverty.”

He said Covid-19 worsened the situation with about 2.2-million workers having lost their jobs.

“This means half the population is unemployed.”

Malema cited corruption, theft and fraud as the biggest contributors to South Africa’s unemployment.

He said not only government officials were to blame for corruption, but the private sector as well.

“Every year, big businesses mostly transnational corporations, illicitly deposit hundreds of billions of dollars out of the reach of SARS and other regulators.

Malema said Nupsaw was also disgusted that workers continued to bear the brunt of “government’s unnecessary austerity programme”.

“The lockdown has created a situation where millions of workers have been left destitute with at least 2.2 million losing their jobs in the second quarter and another 5-million pushed out of formal labour markets.”

He claimed that “millions” of South Africans were still waiting for their UIF and Ters payouts.