The Western Cape government has committed to creating more than half a million jobs by 2035 in response to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) marchers.

Union members marched through the Cape Town city centre to deliver a memorandum of grievances to the three spheres of government.

The group of about 300 people gathered in Hanover Street before proceeding to the Provincial Legislature and later to the Civic Centre.

Cosatu provincial secretary Malvern de Bruyn said the demonstration aimed to highlight the urgent need for decent and sustainable employment.

“We marched to the Provincial Legislature as well as to the Provincial Parliament, but this time around, we did it differently. We asked the Speaker of the National Parliament to come to the Legislature to collect the memorandum,” said De Bruyn.

“The memorandum talked about the question of decent jobs for our people, real jobs for our people, jobs in general for our people. It also addressed the issue of crime in the province. We referred to the issue of the Palestinian crisis and what we wanted our government to do. Then, we went to the City of Cape Town from there. We handed over the memorandum to the Mayor’s Office, and that memorandum also talked about the question of high electricity tariffs, high water tariffs, the question of the anti-poor budget, and also crime.”

De Bruyn said Cosatu had previously engaged with the Premier’s Office but was not convinced that the provincial government was doing enough to address job creation.

He criticised the reliance on the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), arguing that it failed to provide sustainable employment or basic worker benefits.

“There is a need for people to clean streets and work on trucks that collect waste, but why did we use EPWPs?” he asked.

“Those people have been deprived of medical aid, pension funds, and other benefits. They are getting paid less than R20 an hour. The DA and the city are hiding behind the EPWPs instead of creating real jobs.”

Western Cape Director-General Harry Malila said the provincial administration had a plan to grow the economy and expand employment opportunities.

“As part of our provincial strategic plan for the next five years, we wanted to grow the economy because that would enable the private sector to do what they needed to do,” said Malila.

“In that plan, we wanted to create 600,000 jobs over the next five years, at least up until 2026.”

He said the province’s unemployment rate stood at about 21%, and although the Western Cape accounted for “90% of the net jobs created in South Africa over the last two to three years”, more needed to be done.

“The 600,000 jobs we want to create up until 2035 were a steep target, but it would depend on the economy growing at about 3.5%. We believed business created jobs, and if we enabled the business sector through our initiatives, we would be able to achieve that,” he said.

Malila added that the EPWP should be seen as a stepping stone rather than a permanent solution.

“EPWP was an entry to work towards a proper, permanent job. It was an opportunity for young people to gain exposure and skills, but it could not be the ultimate job. The ultimate job provides dignity; nothing puts food on the table like a job. Nothing created dignity like a job. Nothing stops a bullet like a job.”

In solidarity with the march, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) joined the protest, linking the struggle for decent work in South Africa with global justice.

PSC coordinator Professor Usuf Chikte said: “The day marked two years of the genocide, the Holocaust, and apartheid in Palestine. We stood in solidarity with Cosatu in the international call for decent work. Our labour, our life, and our liberty were connected. We could not be unemployed and live a decent life; it was a mockery of our Constitution.”

Chikte also called for government action against Israel’s blockade of Gaza.

“We saluted Cosatu for standing with the Palestinians,” he said. “We wanted actionable steps for a ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian aid, and the lifting of the blockade. We asked the government to impose a coal embargo on Israel and to shut down the Israeli embassy in South Africa.”

The marchers also demanded an end to high water and electricity tariffs, and called for a transparent, pro-poor budget.

They said the 2025/26 municipal and provincial budgets remained “anti-poor”, prioritising “mega-projects, consultants, and profits” while neglecting the needs of communities.

Cosatu further urged the government to prioritise community safety and intensify efforts to combat crime in the province.

The union has given the government 14 days to respond.

Cosatu’s provincial leader, Motlatsi Tsubane, said: “The march was successful, in the sense that the workers came out even though faced with challenges. We expected more numbers, but we are not going to throw water on that.

“If we don’t receive a response within 14 days, we will then demand a one-on-one with either sphere of government.”

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za

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