For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.

Making headlines: South African unions threaten to strike, Steenhuisen confident ANC will lose Gauteng and, ActionSA must propose youth jobs pledge ahead of elections

Steenhuisen confident ANC will lose Gauteng

Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen said today that his party is certain that the ANC will lose Gauteng in the 2024 national elections.   

He announced DA Gauteng provincial leader Solly Msimanga as its Premier candidate for the province.

Steenhuisen said the DA’s latest research showed that, together with the party’s partners in the Multi-Party Charter, these political parties were already polling as high as 45% in Gauteng.

He warned that the DA must “not be under any illusions about the desperation of the ANC”.

South African unions threaten to strike

South Africa’s largest labour union federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions is threatening to go on strike if the government backs proposed austerity measures, which could include go back on a public sector wage agreement.

National Treasury will present President Cyril Ramaphosa with a cost-saving plan in coming weeks to help tackle the country’s revenue shortfall and budget deficit.

Options include increasing taxes and slashing the number of government departments and State-owned enterprises.

Cosatu has already told Ramaphosa that the Treasury’s suggested steps would undermine public services.

Cosatu spokesperson Matthew Parks said the proposed measures will collapse the capacity of the state.

ActionSA must propose youth jobs pledge ahead of elections

University of the Witwatersrand School of Governance’s Professor William Gumede has told the 614 ActionSA delegates gathered at the party’s policy conference to propose a youth jobs pledge ahead of 2024 elections.

He stressed the importance of “giving the youth something” as had been done in many countries, including Brazil and European countries, including Scandanavian countries.

Gumede said as people were in dire poverty, a social grant that could be linked to education obligations was also an important tool, as had been achieved in Brazil.

He also urged ActionSA to create a slogan that would immediately resonate with people and suggested that the party look into the rule of law is another important policy.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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