Hundreds of workers, trade unionists and civil society members marched towards South Africa’s Parliament in Cape Town on Wednesday, demanding an end to budget cuts, a wealth tax and more jobs as the government tabled its mid-term budget.
Footage shows participants listening to speeches, singing and dancing before Treasury representatives are called forward during the presentation of a memorandum.
“We have long called for a self-reliance economic system in the country, because any country that is going to rely on the handouts or being pitied by another country is going to face the situation that we are facing today,” said Mike Shingange, President of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).
He expressed hope that talks between stakeholders would be successful, as South Africa faced potential exclusion from the US duty-free trade initiative, AGOA, due to strained relations.
“We are part of the BRICS community. Together with them, we should have traded with one another more than we trade with America, which is always looking to punish us with tariffs,” he added.
Andile Zulu, Energy Democracy Programme Officer at the Alternative Information and Development Centre, warned that economic frustration was being exploited to turn communities against migrants.
“The current strategy that the government has been taking on for the past several years is one that’s not working for most South Africans,” he added. “The economy has been barely growing for over a decade, and most of our labour-intensive industries are shutting down as well.”
COSATU, the organiser of the event, said an 11-point memorandum was submitted to a National Treasury representative, calling for a ‘People’s Budget’ that protects public services, taxes wealthy South Africans and increases investment in jobs and social support.
The protest culminated in a sit-in near the national legislature, where demonstrators demanded an end to fiscal tightening.
The country’s Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana, delivered the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement in the National Assembly on Wednesday, projecting economic growth of 1.2 per cent in 2026, rising to 1.6 per cent in 2027 and 2.0 per cent by 2029.
Source: Viory
