Cape Town - Thousands of activists with diverse interests from across the country are heading to Cape Town to protest at various venues, including Parliament, ahead of Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s Budget Speech on Wednesday.
One group, Cry of Xcluded, made their way down from Emalahleni in Mpumalanga and will merge with groups from four other provinces ahead of the speech.
Cry of the Xcluded, launched by the assembly of unemployed workers, the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) in an effort to unite the working and non-working citizens of South Africa, released a statement informing the public of their intention to stage a demonstration at the Budget speech.
Working in conjunction with Saftu, Progressive Community Movement (PCM) - a Khayelitsha-based social awareness organisation - and the SA Green Revolution Council, the Caravan of the Xcluded arrived in Cape Town on Sunday and headed to the V&A Waterfront to demonstrate.
Cry of the Xcluded communication officer Mark Weinberg said: “We went to protest at the Waterfront, because it cannot be business as usual when there are so many unemployed people in the country.”
The group, in an effort to mobilise more people and centralise its ideas and actions, will have a “Real Jobs Summit” today and tomorrow, before their main protest on Wednesday.
“The Real Jobs Summit will present the Xcluded an opportunity to discuss workable alternatives to the anti-poor ‘growth’ path the government has pursued over the years,” said Ayanda Kota, a spokesperson for the Unemployed People’s Movement.
@TheCapeArgus