SONA: Cosatu warns Ramaphosa workers’ patience ‘not limitless’

Ramaphosa will deliver his State of the Nation Address on Thursday evening.

The annual address comes amid high crime and unemployment levels, as well as ongoing water and electricity supply issues.

The trade union federation’s Matthew Parks said it cannot be business as usual.

“If we are to stimulate the economy, create jobs, reduce poverty and inequality, end load shedding, rebuild our railway network and modernise our ports, stabilise and fix local government, place SOEs on a sustainable path, tackle entrenched crime and corruption and generate the tax revenue the state requires to provide quality public services; then government must be decisive and match its progressive objectives with concrete interventions, resources and funding, clear time frames and install a culture of accountability for those who fail to deliver,” he said.

He warned Cosatu can no longer afford to treat the struggles of the working class “as an abstract matter best left to endless departmental PowerPoint presentations”.  

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"Workers’ patience is not limitless.  Nor do we have the luxury of time," he said.

Parks says the trade union expects Ramaphosa to announce "a massive expansion of the Presidential Employment Stimulus to accommodate at least 1 million people by April and 2 million by November 2024, to help break the back of youth unemployment”.

“Adjusting the SRD (grant) to recover value lost to inflation since it commenced in 2024 by April 2024 and to the food poverty line by November 2024, helping 8 million unemployed persons.

“Further relief to Eskom to ensure we emerge from load shedding by December 2024," is also on Cosatu’s wish list, said Parks.