Share

Vavi leads jobs march, Zola distracts crowd

Durban - Traffic in Durban's city centre was brought to a standstill as thousands of National Union of Metal Workers of SA members marched for jobs.

Suspended Congress of SA Trade Unions general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi was at the front of the estimated 3000-strong march.

The march proceeded down Anton Lembede (Smith) Street, where Vavi was expected to address the marchers.

Vavi carried a placard that read "Implement the Freedom Charter".

There were no immediate reports of any incidents and a large police contingent escorted the marchers.

Johannesburg

Jan Smuts Avenue was a sea of red on Wednesday as Numsa marchers made their way from Zoo Lake to the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) offices in Rosebank.

Traffic was at a standstill as the marchers flooded the main road. The march was relatively peaceful.

Some of the marchers waved and blew kisses at children at a nursery school along the way.

Marchers also stopped and asked for water at some of the businesses along the route.

Many shops, however, closed their doors as the marchers made their way past.

Some motorists sat in their vehicles, unable to make their way through the crowds.

At one intersection some of the marchers came across an ANC poster and banged on it. They were reprimanded by other members.

Zola

Some marchers were temporarily distracted as they spotted musician Zola coming out of one of the shops along the route.

They took out their cellphones in a bid to snap pictures of him. He quickly hurried away from the crowd.

Some of the men stopped to urinate outside the walls of a building.

Throughout the march, the singing and chanting continued. The marchers were demanding employment.

National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) general secretary Irvin Jim met the marchers at the Nedlac building and began addressing the crowd at 12.30.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.23
-0.4%
Rand - Pound
23.93
-0.4%
Rand - Euro
20.48
-0.4%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
-0.3%
Rand - Yen
0.12
-0.6%
Platinum
949.60
-0.1%
Palladium
1,023.50
-0.6%
Gold
2,383.16
+0.2%
Silver
28.34
+0.4%
Brent Crude
87.11
-0.2%
Top 40
66,671
-0.8%
All Share
72,706
-0.8%
Resource 10
62,982
-0.5%
Industrial 25
97,465
-1.0%
Financial 15
15,383
-0.6%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders