Thousands to join JHB price protest

Thu, 17 Apr 2008

Thousands of people are expected to take part in a protest against high food prices in Johannesburg on Thursday, the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) said.

"We expect more than 5000 people from trade unions, non-government bodies and community organisations to turn up," Cosatu Gauteng secretary said on Wednesday.

He said protesters would gather at the Johannesburg City Hall at 1pm, and march to Braamfontein to Eskom's offices and the Pick n Pay supermarket chain, as a symbolic gesture to all retail shops.

Key issues to be raised included escalating food costs, the proposed 53 percent Eskom tariff hike and rising fuel prices.

"We reiterate our resolution that we need to nationalise Sasol so as to increase capacity to provide fuel to all South Africans."

Community organisations and the SANGO Coalition (Sangoco) will also take part in the march.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Union of SA (Fedusa) on Wednesday also called for urgent action against soaring food prices.

Fedusa's general secretary Dennis George said the most basic food items such as bread, milk, eggs, maize, meat and chicken had gone up at a rate higher than inflation.

"According to statistics, maize, a staple diet for millions of South Africans has gone up by 40 percent in the past year."

He said the International Monetary Fund warned that the 48 percent increase in food prices since the end of 2006 was a huge figure that may undermine gains that the international community had made in reducing poverty.

However, Fedusa had no plans of joining Thursday's march, George said.