[imagesource: Ashraf Hendricks]

Yesterday, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni gave his annual budget speech.

In addition to the usual outline of tax increases and details about government spending, he also presented documents to Parliament showing that the National Treasury had to reprioritise spending in certain areas.

For a more detailed breakdown of the speech, head here, and to read it in full, you’ll find the transcript here.

Ahead of the speech, a protest erupted in Cape Town, as the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) took to the streets to air several grievances, including the high unemployment rate. The non-profit organisation Right To Know joined them.

The protesters had applied for a permit but were denied. Regardless, they gathered on Keizersgracht Street.

There was already a heavy police presence in the area in anticipation of the gathering, who warned them that they were not allowed to march to Parliament.

SAFTU, reports News24, then organised a motorcade, but were stopped by SAPS as they neared Parliament.

Things escalated when police tried to arrest the first of the two protest leaders who were taken into custody. Stun grenades were used to disperse the crowd:

Speaking to News24, SAFTU’s Western Cape organiser Nomacebo Mbayo said that they were challenging lockdown regulations pertaining to gatherings.

“We believe that the government is using these regulations to suppress dissent. Other gatherings are permitted in the current regulations, except for political gatherings and we strongly believe that this is an attack on our right to protest. The COVID-19 gathering regulations are irrational and unconstitutional – they must be scrapped”, she said.

Stats SA recently released the unemployment data for the fourth quarter of 2020, which indicated that unemployment is currently at 32,5%.

This is the highest that it has been since 2008.

This is likely, in part, due to the loss of jobs and business revenue as a result of the pandemic, and the lockdowns employed to limit the spread of COVID-19.

[source:news24&news24]