Khosi Uba has been forced to stop using her car on some days and cut down on buying certain food items as the cost of living has got too high over the past few months.
Uba, 47, of Protea Glen in Soweto, said she joined a lift club to save on petrol costs.
The mother of four, who has been teaching for 28 years, said she earns about R18,000 a month.
On a monthly basis Uba spends R5,600 on the bond of her house, R2,500 on food, R2,200 on school fees, R800 on scholar transport for her children and R550 for electricity. She spends R2,000 on petrol per month. She spends R450 a month on the lift club.
Yesterday, she stayed away from work and joined thousands in a march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria over the rising cost of living and constant load-shedding.
“The government needs to increase our salaries. Fuel prices have gone up and the prices of food have increased but our salaries remain stagnant. I am unhappy,” said Uba.
Clad in red T-shirts, waving yellow flags and placards, the protesters sang Struggle songs as they marched from Burgers Park in the CBD to submit a memorandum of demands to the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
They also marched against the crippling economy and high unemployment rate.
Some of the placards read: “End poverty, job losses and inequalities”, “High electricity pricing kills the poor”, “Cyril is our enemy”, “No privatisation of Eskom”, and “Stop the steep increases in the price of fuel”.
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Linah Mokgodi, who works at a call centre in Pretoria, said she is tired of earning a low salary. Mokgodi lives in a flat in Bosman, Pretoria. She earns R6,000. She spends R2,700 on rent, R1,000 on food and R800 on transport.
The rest of the money goes towards water and electricity.
“I cannot cope with this salary. There was a time I stopped buying meat in bulk because the costs were too high. I would buy small packets that would only last me a few days,” she said.
When the workers arrived at the Union Buildings, Cosatu's first deputy president Mike Shingange called on the government to find a solution to workers’ issues. “We gathered here to say we need jobs and demand unemployed graduates to get jobs. Those who are employed are drowning in debt due to skyrocketing fuel and food prices,” said Shingange.
Some of the demands from Cosatu were for the government to increase salaries by 8%, reverse budget cuts that have led to lack of provisions of basic service delivery, scrap e-tolls and pay male and female workers equally for doing the same job.
“We demand an immediate response in 14 days, failure of which will lead to further protest action,” said Shingange.
Minister in the presidency Mondli Gungubele accepted the memorandum on behalf of the government, saying if the government did not deal with unemployment and poverty, it would be irrelevant.
Godfrey Mabapa, 56, from Atteridgeville, Tshwane, said he was financially crippled and can no longer afford certain things.
The man who works for the department of social development said, “This is really affecting me. Even at home things are not looking good, there is no peace.”
Vuyokazi Mayekiso, an Expanded Public works Programme worker at Eric Ndeleni Clinic in Krugersdorp on the West Rand, said she wanted permanent employment.
Mayekiso said she has been on yearly contracts for eight years, adding that she is unable to send money to her parents back home in the Eastern Cape.
She said her employment did not come with benefits. “I always have to pay cash when my children are ill. I need medical aid and other benefits of retirement.”
Evans Ramakgoakgoa, 45, from Ga-Mphahlele in Limpopo said he has not received an increase in six years.
He earns R6,200 and spends R3,200 for transport to get to work from Tembisa to Edenvale, R650 for medical aid, R800 for rent, R400 for life cover and funeral policy. The remaining money is for groceries and toiletries.
“We are supposed to get at least 6% increase every year. Each year medical aids and policies increase, so how are we supposed to make ends meet?”
Nomvula Dlamini, 73, and several other elderly people complained about lack of service delivery.
Dlamini, from White City in Soweto, said she has been renting for 12 years. “I want my RDP house. I've been waiting for it for many years,” she said, adding that she was retrenched in 2008 and now depends on a social grant for survival.
kokam@sowetan.co.za
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