A speak-out at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town on Tuesday saw activists from four provinces, unionists and members of the South African Communist Party, calling for an end to government austerity ahead of the budget speech tomorrow. Their demand was for a people’s budget which they described as one that works for the majority and not the elite.

Madoda Cuphe from the Alternative Information and Development Centre (AIDC) said that they had collected about 100,000 signatures from across the country on a petition opposing government austerity. The government has for about 10 years been implementing budget cuts that have affected social services. More recently, the Western Cape education department has cut over 2,400 teaching posts.

The 20 organisations that have endorsed the people’s budget are calling for amongst other demands, the reduction of food prices, pro-poor economic policies, adequate funding for public services, an end to privatisation and for the government to address the issue of mass unemployment.

Austerity cuts lives

Lydia Cairncross, who has been a doctor and a surgeon for over 20 years, painted a picture of how the austerity measures have affected the public healthcare system in the form of staff cuts, medication stock-outs, bed shortages in intensive care units and people waiting long hours in queues to receive medical attention. “I have seen people die because we have lost our operating capacity due to austerity measures. I have seen people not being able to get the medication that they need. When politicians say they will cut the budget, it means they will be cutting your lives,” said Cairncross.

Busisiwe Keke from Black Sash said that because of the high food prices, social grant recipients have food for only three weeks in a month. By the fourth week, most families do not have food, according to Keke.

A learner at Thandokhulu High and a member of Equal Education, Zenande Nyete told the crowd of over 100 people that the cuts in teachers’ posts are taking place while classrooms are overcrowded. “We are already overcrowded with about 50 learners in one class, so the cutting down of teachers is going to make things worse,” she said.

Call for workplace and community unity

Vuyokazi Made, an activist from Gqeberha called on the leaders of the trade union federations who were part of the gathering to start bridging the gap between the employed and the unemployed and between workplace and community issues. “Mr Vavi, i thought we were going to struggle to get seats as the unemployed and community members because the hall was going to be packed with workers from Saftu. We also thought that there were going to be lots of Cosatu workers here but they are not here. We are not sure if it’s because they do not reside in the same communities we live in or if the trade union leadership even live in the same communities as us,” she said.

“Most of the work that we do is supposed to be done by trade union members and organisations like the South African Communist Party, Mr Mapaila,” said Made. The South African Trade Union Federation (Saftu), the Congress of South African Trade Union Federation (Cosatu) and the South African Communist Party (SACP) have all endorsed the people’s budget.

In his speech, Saftu’s general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi called for unity between the employed and the unemployed and recognition of common struggles. Speaking directly to the SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila, Vavi said that it was refreshing for a leader of the communist party to endorse a people’s budget. “This brings hope and it means that the sickle and the hammer have returned,” he said.

In his response, Mapaila said they were going to have coffee with Vavi to stabilise relations between the SACP and Saftu.