A coalition of civil society members staged a picket outside the office of Northern Cape Premier Zamani Saul in Kimberley, presenting a list of demands aimed at alleviating the severe financial pressure on households.
The demonstration, organized by the group South Africa Transforming Towards an Inclusive Society, saw a smaller-than-anticipated turnout. Despite this, the attendees were resolute in their message, condemning empty government promises and demanding immediate action on a range of economic issues.
Protesters called for a comprehensive government crackdown on corruption and rent manipulation by local and foreign banks, demanding that all implicated financial institutions be held accountable.
The group’s demands include immediate economic relief measures. They are calling on the National Treasury to remove the Value-Added Tax (VAT) on all essential food and hygiene items for a minimum of six months. Furthermore, they are demanding a 180-day freeze on the fuel levy, electricity tariffs, and municipal rates to protect households from the escalating cost of living.
“We are crying for cost of living which is we can’t afford it. We can’t afford it and it’s unacceptable and there is no reason for it to be the way it is,” said one frustrated resident. The speaker also issued a call to action, stating, “Our youth, especially those unemployed youth, let them get up and fight. We are just tired of everything. It can’t be that people are stealing so much of money and our children are going hungry.”
The organization delivered a memorandum of demands to the Premier’s office, giving the provincial government a five-day deadline to address their grievances. Director General Justice Bekebeke accepted the document on behalf of Premier Saul.
Bekebeke promised to engage with the relevant government departments and entities concerning the demands. He acknowledged that several issues, such as those involving National Treasury and the banking association, fall outside the direct jurisdiction of the provincial government.
“We need to send them to the bank association so that we can get responses from them in order to ensure that when a response is coming through to the colleagues that at least people who are supposed to address them have done that,” Bekebeke stated.
The provincial government has committed to giving the demands the attention they deserve. However, organizers have vowed to continue mobilizing civil society until the government takes serious action to resolve the pressing challenges facing their communities.