COSATU is planning to embark on a national strike against the cost of living, fuel price hikes, and Eskom’s load shedding.
The national shutdown is expected to take place next Wednesday on August 24.
“The national strike is in response to ongoing load shedding, fuel price hikes, and escalating food prices,” said a statement from Cosatu.
“This socio-economic strike also represents a push back and a response by the workers to the ongoing class warfare directed at them by both public and private sector employers.”
On Thursday, Cosatu is expected to update the media on details and arrangements regarding the national strike.
The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) is planning a national shutdown on the same day.
Fuel prices also rose by more than R2 a litre for diesel and petrol in July.
South Africans living inland now pay around R25 for a litre of petrol and just over R27 for a litre of diesel.
Growth in food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation was steady at 5.5% y/y in December 2021 the same as in the previous month but remained quite elevated.
Overall, food inflation eased further to 5.9% y/y in December 2021 from 6.0% y/y in November 2021 dropping further from the August 2021 peak of 7.4%.
Food prices have risen quite sharply in the last year to an average of 6.4% in 2021 from 4.8% y/y in 2020 as supply chain constraints added pressure on global food prices that are driven by drought conditions from South America.
In recent months, COSATU has been calling for the country to be placed under a state of emergency due to the ongoing electricity crisis.
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