South African Union Adds Voice to Growing Food Price Protests

Following World Bank President Robert Zoellick weekend declaration of a global food emergency and as riots over food shortages spread around the globe, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) warned Monday that it would mobilize thousands of members to protest at the rising food and electricity prices in the country.

The World Bank estimates that 33 countries around the world face potential social unrest because of acute rises in food and energy prices. Food riots, which started last year with the tortilla protests in Mexico, have now spread to Cameroon, Egypt, Haiti, Indonesia and Peru.

South Africa has also not been spared the pain. According to data provided by trade union Solidarity, food inflation was as high as 14,4% in February.

Cosatu has already mobilized to put the plight of the poor in the spotlight.

The labour federation has served a section 77 notice with the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac), stating its plan to embark on national protests over spiraling food and electricity prices.

The protests started in Limpopo on Sunday and will go on this week, it said.

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has criticized the latest “disastrous” interest rates hike and accused sectors of the food industry of “criminal price-fixing.”

He said the wave of price increases was ruining the lives of poor families and jeopardizing the economic future, with bread, milk and other basic foods, fuel and transport becoming more expensive.

“There is clear evidence of criminal price-fixing in the bread and dairy sectors, by greedy companies acting together to make even bigger profits at the expense of their consumers,” Vavi said.

Source African Press Agency

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