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On Monday, 22 August 2022, Saftu general- secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, briefed the press on the final preparations of the national shutdown that will be taking place on Wednesday, 24 August 2022.
The national shutdown follows after a long discussion on the drastic price hikes which has now started affecting citizens negatively in their daily lives. Citizens in the low class, as well as middle- class, are affected by the increase in the cost of living.
“There’s going to be a national shutdown and what it means is that the majority of the workers are going to be working on that day. We have a certificate that no worker will be victimized. The strike is protected and people will be protesting across the country. We have a crisis. The working class is being plunged into a depth of poverty that is unsustainable for the great majority of the working class” says, Union President and co- coordinator of cost- of –living crisis campaign, Mametlwe Sebei.
According to reports, “thousands of workers affiliated with Saftu and Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), as well as other unions will down tools and strike against what they believe is an impending economic collapse”.
South Africans are encouraged to join in the march as it is an issue affecting everyone in the country. With low chances of employment opportunities and high standards of living one too many citizens are still to be affected by these price hikes.
“Our national shutdown is organized to show our working class that the only way is to fight back. We are calling for a general strike, a stay away and a general strike of all workers both ordinary workers and professional workers of white and black workers of the middle class, and the unemployed people who are concerned of our future of our country and the future of our people to join us” explains Vavi.
