Despite our hard-earned freedom in our country, the levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality remain prevalent to date.
Image: Ron Lach/Pexels
The National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (NUPSAW), together with the country’s working class, commemorates Freedom Day. It was on this day, 31 years ago, that South Africans from all walks of life participated in the first democratic elections in our country.
We honour the sacrifices made in the struggle against the brutal apartheid regime, and we will remain indebted to the freedom fighters for their sacrifices in the liberation of our country. Despite our hard-earned freedom in our country, the levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality remain prevalent to date.
It is a dismay that 31 years into democracy, we remain a concurred nation with the minority owning the majority of the land in the country while the majority have no access to land and are languishing in poverty-stricken informal settlements.
At the core of the struggle against apartheid was the return of land to its rightful owners, but sadly, 30 years later, the struggle continues, and that dream remains stillborn; the rich become richer while the poor are poorer.
The crisis of lawlessness poses a serious threat, especially to women and children who are often violated and feel unsafe in and outside their homes. The high incidences of gender based violence and sexual violence in the country are largely due to a lack of political will and the failure of the leadership.
The story of a 7-year-old CweCwe from Matatiele in the Eastern Cape has highlighted the safety concerns of women and children in our country, says the writer
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
The story of a 7-year-old CweCwe from Matatiele in the Eastern Cape has highlighted the safety concerns of women and children in our country. The situation in our police stations is detrimental to the fight against gender-based violence in our country. We call on the police minister, Senzo Mchunu, and the National Commissioner to ensure that South African Police Service staff receive the adequate training needed.
Furthermore, we urge the Department of Social Development to fully support shelters for GBV victims and ensure they receive the necessary human resources. Workers face dire exploitation and slave like working conditions, the use of labour brokers by private companies and public service is a cause of concern as it threatens NUPSAW National Office Bearers President: Titus Daniso; Deputy President: Siphiwe Gabela; 2nd Deputy President: Ruth Maredi; National Treasurer: Lekgowa Mokoana General Secretary: Solly Malema; Deputy General Secretary: Tebogo Kulate the livelihood of the workers.
The current Government of National Unity (GNU) has no clear policies to create jobs instead, it is continuing with the neo-liberal policies that have, over the years, failed the working class. Furthermore, we call on the government to do away with austerity measures as it has an impact on the daily operations of the public service; it is common knowledge that many departments are operating on staff shortage, which has an impact on service delivery to the public.
As we commemorate this important day, NUPSAW believes that freedom day will never be meaningful when women and children are being raped, unemployment sky rocketing and people still not having access to clean water and sanitation. Workers continue to be exploited under the current government.
More still needs to be done to address the challenges the country is being confronted with. The struggle for the workers continues.
National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers