AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - “Yesterday’s strike was a sign of serious social unrest caused by widespread unemployment” Communications’ office of the Southern African Bishops’ Conference told Fides

Tuesday, 28 June 2005

Johannesburg (Fides Service)- “Yesterday’s strike was a sign of serious social unrest and a situation which threatens to explode” Italian Comboni missionary Fr Efrem Tresoldi, communications officer of the SACBC (Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference) said with regard to a strike of miners, factory workers and transport workers on 27 June in South Africa.
“The strike was the result of a serious economic crisis in the mining industry, gold and diamonds, and the textile industry” Fr Tresoldi told Fides. “But there are other reasons at the root of the crisis: the mining industry is feeling the effect of a re-valuation of the Rand which penalised exports and the textile industry faces competition with Chinese products”.
“The strike involved a good a part of the labour force” the missionary said. “Also car factory workers went on strike, more out of solidarity than to safeguard their jobs. In fact the car industry appears to be expanding. In recent years Japanese and German car producers have invested heavily and opened factories in South Africa”.
“The strike organisers wanted to tell the government and economic leaders to find a solution to unemployment, which now affects 40% of the labour force” Fr Tresoldi said. “It is too early to say but I think the strike had an impact and that political and economic leaders will have to take suitable measures ”
Requests made by the strikers included duty on foreign textiles and a reduction of the value of the Rand to favour exports.
The high unemployment rate affects also foreign workers “mainly those from Mozambique, Lesotho and Malawi, extremely poor countries which now face the problem of returning redundant workers from South Africa” Fr Tresoldi told Fides.
Besides its economic crisis South Africa has also to deal with a political crisis after vice president Jacob Zuma accused of corruption was told by President Thabo Mbeki to resign. In his place Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former mining and energy minister, was nominated South Africa’s first female vice president. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 28/6/2005 righe 39 parole 436)


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