Joburg Cosatu protesters annoyed at Lesufi's 'snub' as premier in Boksburg after gas leak tragedy

• Cosatu leaders in Johannesburg were not impressed by the absence of the Gauteng premier at the handing over of their memorandum.
• Premier Panyaza Lesufi was at the site of the Boksburg gas leak on Thursday morning.
• Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, David Mahlobo, received the memorandum from workers. 

Cosatu's Johannesburg leaders were not shy to voice their ire on Thursday when Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi failed to meet them at his offices in Newtown.

Lesufi was in Boksburg at the Angelo informal settlement at midday after 17 people died from a gas leak on Wednesday night.

Marchers in red made two stops along the way - the first at the South African Local Government Association (Salga) and the second at the Department of Employment and Labour.

The crowd had thinned somewhat when they reached the downtown offices, but spirits were still high.

After vowing to remain in front of the building until the premier arrived, Cosatu leaders gave in and said his "stooges" could come and accept the memorandums on his behalf, but they needed to respond to them "properly" within 14 days.

Cosatu was joined by the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa); the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers Union (CEPPWAWU); and the Agricultural Food and Allied Democratic Workers Union (AFADWU).

READ | Cosatu members demand serious government action on crime

Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlombo received the memorandums on behalf of the Gauteng province, the South African Reserve Bank, the South African Police Service and the Human Rights Commission.

The workers are demanding:

• the increase of the Social Relief of Distress grant in the October medium budget policy statement; 
• extending the Presidential Employment Stimulus to accommodate 1 million active participants in October this year and 2 million in February 2024;
• ensuring the implementation of the two-pot retirement system reforms on 1 March 2024;
• unblocking the delays in the rollout of the public infrastructure programme;
• intervention in the 36 municipalities routinely failing to pay their employees;
• the repealing of the Municipal Systems Amendment Act clause banning all 350 000 municipal workers from holding office in a political party at any level;
• urgent intervention in rebuilding and modernising Transnet and Metrorail;
• urgent intervention to prevent the collapse and liquidation of the Post Office;
• allocation of additional resources to ensure the SAPS, NPA, SIU, Hawks and judiciary are sufficiently resourced to win the war against crime and corruption;
• allocate further funds to SARS to tackle tax evasion and customs fraud; and
• filling of all funded public service and sector vacancies by December.

Addressing workers, the union said the "snub" by Lesufi was proof that the government was using workers for their vote and was not serious about workers' rights.

Speaking to News24 before the march on Thursday morning, Cosatu second deputy president Duncan Luvuno said there would be more protests to come.