President Cyril Ramaphosa believes the grievances of the workers at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium who booed and stormed the stage when he spoke on Workers’ Day run deeper than a salary dispute, but stem from a “broader level of discontent”, which reflects a weakening trust between workers and labour unions, federations, political leaders and public institutions.
Ramaphosa addressed a Cosatu rally in Rustenburg in the North West on Sunday, but he was forced to abandon his address by disgruntled workers and was whisked away as they demanded he leave.
Workers have been on strike for three months and are demanding a R1,000 monthly salary increase for Sibanye-Stillwater gold-mine workers. The mine has rejected their demand and instead offered an R800 increase.
The disgruntled workers said they could not allow Ramaphosa to address them until he dealt with their salary concerns, which they said he knew about. He said their demand had been heard and would be addressed, but the workers would hear none of it.
Ramaphosa said in his weekly newsletter on Tuesday that he believes the government needs the help of labour, business and society to improve the lives and working conditions of workers, grow and transform the economy, unlock long-term opportunities.
“However, the workers that gathered at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium and millions of other people across our country cannot wait for the impact of these reforms to be realised,” said Ramaphosa.
The 2008 financial crisis, the drop in commodities prices, state capture, corruption, the Covid-19 pandemic, poor service delivery, crime, public violence, the protests and looting in July 2021, and poor governance are some factors that have hampered economic growth since democracy, said Ramaphosa.
But he believes the government introducing a R350 social relief grant in April 2020 because of the pandemic, the presidential employment stimulus, expanding the employment tax incentive, a minimum wage, among others, have helped to grow the economy.
The government now wants to improve the competitiveness and contribution of energy, water, telecommunications and transport industries to the economy and increase more in infrastructure, hoping it will create a “virtuous cycle” in which the economy grows and jobs are created.
Ramaphosa said until then, the government was providing basic social protection to the most vulnerable, because workers and other poor people “cannot wait for the impact of these reforms to be realised”.
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