The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) in the Western Cape supports the SAFTU protest which will take place today on Budget Day. Members of NUMSA together with other SAFTU affiliates will be marching outside parliament today, on the day that Finance Minister Tito Mboweni will be expected to deliver his budget speech.
The march is to demonstrate against joblessness which continues to plague the working class majority. This scourge is about to worsen with the announcement of the unbundling of Eskom. The ANC government cannot be believed when they claim that unbundling will not lead to privatization and retrenchments. They have turned lying into an art form and the working class will be making a fatal mistake if it believes this propaganda.
The ANC government has always had an agenda to privatize State Owned Entities and Eskom in particular. They continuously harp on the wage bill at Eskom because the expectation is that the working class will pay for this restructuring through job losses. They are following the script which has been written for them by White Monopoly Capitalist institutions like the World Bank and others, who demand that massive retrenchments must take place at Eskom in order to guarantee efficiency in the running of the SOE.
NUMSA also supports the General Strike called for by our federation SAFTU on the 26-27 March, 2019. The Strike is to demand jobs, a living wage for all, and prosecution for all those embroiled in corruption. The working class must be united in driving an agenda in its own interest. We cannot expect the greedy Capitalist ANC-led government to get away with continuing to promote economic policies which will continue to enrich the wealthy elite, and enslave the working class majority and the poor. We must fight for a Socialist South Africa if the working class is to experience genuine freedom!
The details of the march are as follows:
DATE : Wednesday 20 February, 2019
TIME : 10:00 AM
GATHERING SPOT : Kaizergracht, Cape Town
Aluta continua!
The struggle continues!
Issued by Vuyo Lufele
NUMSA Regional Secretary Western Cape
0785113043
For more information, please contact:
Phakamile Hlubi-Majola
NUMSA National Spokesperson
083376772