Jacob Zuma
Up to 150,00 council workers have gone on stike in South Africa to demand higher pay, leaving public transport paralysed, clinics unstaffed and rubbish uncollected.
The stoppage by the South African Municipal Workers Union, which is demanding a 15 per cent pay rise against an employers’ offer of 11.5 per cent, is the latest in a series of strikes to hit the country.
Since Jacob Zuma was inaugurated as president two months ago there have been walk-outs by construction workers, which halted work on World Cup stadiums for several days, and unofficial protests by doctors, while transport and mine workers have also threatened action’ There were also riots in townships across the country last week over dire living conditions.
The situation amounts to a shortened political honeymoon for Mr Zuma, a populist who came to power on a “pro-poor” platform and co-opted the support of unions and the Left in his struggle with his predecessor as leader of the African National Congress, Thabo Mbeki.
Many poor South Africans still do not have running water or electricity in their homes, 15 years after the end of apartheid, and Mr Zuma is already facing pressure to deliver on his promises, while balancing the demands of his former allies with the need to reassure business in the face of the global downturn.
At a weekend rally to thank voters for supporting the ANC he had to plead for time. “Give us a chance,” he told the crowd.
Up to 150,00 council workers have gone on stike in South Africa to demand higher pay, leaving public transport paralysed, clinics unstaffed and rubbish uncollected.
The stoppage by the South African Municipal Workers Union, which is demanding a 15 per cent pay rise against an employers’ offer of 11.5 per cent, is the latest in a series of strikes to hit the country.
Since Jacob Zuma was inaugurated as president two months ago there have been walk-outs by construction workers, which halted work on World Cup stadiums for several days, and unofficial protests by doctors, while transport and mine workers have also threatened action’ There were also riots in townships across the country last week over dire living conditions.
The situation amounts to a shortened political honeymoon for Mr Zuma, a populist who came to power on a “pro-poor” platform and co-opted the support of unions and the Left in his struggle with his predecessor as leader of the African National Congress, Thabo Mbeki.
Many poor South Africans still do not have running water or electricity in their homes, 15 years after the end of apartheid, and Mr Zuma is already facing pressure to deliver on his promises, while balancing the demands of his former allies with the need to reassure business in the face of the global downturn.
At a weekend rally to thank voters for supporting the ANC he had to plead for time. “Give us a chance,” he told the crowd.
No comments:
Post a Comment