South Africa: Food and electricity prices spark union protest

Thousands of members of the Congress of South African trade Unions (COSATU) took to the streets of Johannesburg on Apr. 17 to protest rocketing food and electricity prices. The unionists made their way through the city's central business district and then marched on the headquarters of the national power utility, ESKOM. "Prosecute those responsible for price fixing and collusion" and "food security: a caring society," read some of the placards carried through the streets by the 5,000-strong singing and dancing crowd. Geoffrey, one of the protesters, said the poor suffered most from South Africa's ongoing electricity crisis in which taxes haven been raised 53 percent. "We can't afford any other source of power like gas -- we are not rich." The entire country has been hit by widespread planned and unplanned power cuts, or "load shedding," that is affecting every sector of the economy and sparking fear of job losses. The march then turned to a major supermarket chain, Pick n Pay, where protesters demanded action on spiraling food prices. "It looks like there is collusion between the supermarkets and government to fix the prices of some commodities. I can't run my life now," another marcher, William, told IRIN. According to a COSATU statement released earlier this month, "For more than a year now, food prices have been rising much more rapidly than overall inflation," the labor umbrella body maintained. With wages barely rising over the same period, the poor have borne the brunt. "The fact is that low-income households spend a far greater proportion of their income on food than the rich -- food price increases are fueling economic and social inequality at a faster pace than the state social security system has been set to address," COSATU warned. Vusi Maduna, a mother of two participating in the march, said food prices had risen so sharply that she could barely feed her family. The COSATU statement also pointed out that high interest rates, high gas prices and rising unemployment were compounding the problems of the poor. Official estimates put South Africa's unemployment rate at 25 percent, although independent economists have said the joblessness rate is nearer 40 percent. COSATU vowed to organize more demonstrations throughout the country until the government gave in to their demands.