Two of the major trade unions in South African – Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) have gone ahead with a national shutdown protest from Wednesday morning.
The planned protests are said to take place in the cities of Tshwane and Cape Town with the City of Cape Town urging both unions to maintain order.
According to reports, the shutdown will continue until 2:00pm with law enforcement from various cities across the nation on standby to monitor that protests conclude without incident.
While the government has conceded that protests are acknowledged by law, essential workers are not allowed to join the protests during working hours, as per ENCA.
Africa Melane from Radio 702 had a chance to speak to the mayoral committee on Safety and Security, JP Smith, who stated that the City did not expect any disruptions.
“We don’t anticipate any significant disruptions today as we have multiple events taking place today,” he indicated.
“I hope the protesters understand that their actions impact abilities on others in getting employment.”
The Unions are said to be protesting over loadshedding, wage suppression and the rising cost of living, as per News24.
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