The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is staging protests today in the Western Cape, Limpopo, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, calling for an end to austerity measures ahead of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s much-anticipated 2025 Budget Speech.
The demonstrations aim to highlight the impact of funding cuts on essential sectors like education and health, which have led to staff shortages and inadequate service delivery.
In Cape Town, the protest will begin at 10 a.m. at Hanover Street in the CBD, with union members and supporters voicing their opposition to the government’s approach to budgeting.
Speaking on VOC Breakfast, COSATU Western Cape Provincial Secretary Melvin De Bruyn explained the union’s key demands, emphasizing the need for a budget that better addresses the needs of the country’s most vulnerable citizens.
“Today is one of those marches where we are going to express our disappointment in the way the government has dealt with budgets in the past. We hope that this year’s budget speaks to the poorest of the poor and is worker-friendly—one that improves the lives of the people of this country,” said De Bruyn.
The union is calling for increased funding for essential social services, including healthcare and education, as well as a larger budget for infrastructure development.
De Bruyn noted that such investments would not only address the country’s pressing social needs but also create jobs and boost the economy.
“We are demanding that they improve the budget for the social needs of our people. With regards to infrastructure, they should increase the budget to create more jobs and allow people to provide for their families,” he said.
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
Photo: @_cosatu/X
