South Africa: President Ramaphosa Calls Emergency Meeting With Labour to Avert Budget Crisis

Nick Roux/Wikimedia
South African currency (file photo).
12 September 2023
allAfrica.com
By Melody Chironda

Cape Town — President Cyril Ramaphosa has called an urgent meeting with organised labour to discuss the Treasury's proposals for harsh cuts to government budgets, including freezing all public service posts and infrastructure budgets, reports News24.

The Treasury has also proposed scrapping specific government programmes and entire government departments to reduce costs and has mooted reducing the headcount in the public service by offering more attractive voluntary severance packages with a target of cutting 200,000 jobs.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has expressed dismay at the Treasury's proposals, saying that they will only serve to choke the economy and further weaken the government. COSATU suggested that the government address the main causes of the economic malaise by fixing the energy and logistics constraints crippling the economy.

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