At least 15,000 of workers protested in Johannesburg yesterday against the government's privatisation plans as part of a nationwide strike in South Africa.
The workers converged on Library Gardens, where union leaders railed against a privatisation programme which they say is costing hundreds of thousands of jobs.
The 1.8 million-strong Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) federation, a major ally of the ruling ANC, is angry at the government's plans to restructure and partially privatise about 150 million rand ($17.95 million) worth of assets inherited from the apartheid regime.
"This protest is not just against privatisation but against conservative policies," the National Union of Mineworkers general-secretary, Mr Gwede Mantashe, said.
