SA sitting on a ticking time bomb, warns Sanco
"When the country turns into chaos, the situation would be similar to countries such as Sudan and other African countries where you see no political stability and a shrinking economy."
South Africa is sitting on a time bomb that may explode at any time, South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) has warned the government.
“Chaos would erupt should the government fail to act decisively on the socio-economic problems,” Sanco Tshwane regional chairperson Abram Mashishi told Rekord.
Mashishi’s remarks came after thousands of Cosatu and community members last Wednesday marched peacefully to the Union Buildings, Arcadia, Pretoria.
They demanded that the government bring an end to high fuel prices, load-shedding, poverty, inequality and unemployment as well as gender-based violence and corruption, among others.
“When the country turns into chaos, the situation would be similar to countries such as Sudan and other African countries where you see no political stability and a shrinking economy.
“We do not want to find ourselves in such a situation.”
Also read: Cosatu to embark on national shutdown
He called on the government to quickly come up with effective strategies to reduce “the high rate of unemployment and increase salaries of the poor workers”.
Focusing on load-shedding, high fuel prices and a high rate of unemployment, he said the people were experiencing more hardships.
“We are concerned that load-shedding makes it difficult for businesses to invest in the country, high fuel prices contribute to high food prices and high rate of unemployment seems to be approaching 40%.”
He said some employers were failing to pay employees adequate salaries, citing that such behaviour showed that they had no regard for workers.
“Poverty and starvation make the poor very angry,” he said, adding that people go to bed on an empty stomach.
He said making a meaningful intervention to solve South Africa’s social-economic problems would demonstrate that the government was for the people and serious about serving their problems.
Explaining the importance of supporting Cosatu’s protest, he said their backing of the march was critical because the working class was facing serious challenges that make them poor.
He said some Sanco members were part of the working class and supporting the march, therefore, meant supporting some of their own.
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“This working class consists of our people because they are part of our community members that we represent and it is for this reason Sanco supports the march.”
The government has promised that it would look closely at the matters raised, citing that it agreed with the frustrated people that the government should deal with inequality, poverty and unemployment, among others.
“It is against that background that President Cyril Ramaphosa, not long ago, saw it necessary to table before this country an energy plan which is being monitored on a weekly basis,” Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele said.
He added that the government had committed R249-billion to infrastructure development.
Also read: Planned Sunnyside, CBD protests highlight migrant worker issue
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