Thetsane chaos as workers take to the streets to protests in the night
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By Staff Reporter
Thetsane industrial has been brought to a standstill, tires burned in the roads, roads blocked and vehicles pelted with stones by textile and garments factories workers who went on a wild cat protests in the night after Minister Motlohi Maliehe failed to issues new minimum wages gazette.
Many onlookers who were nearby said the protestors destroyed properties of motorists passing by and brought their journeys to a halt and threatening their lives, broke into Chinese-owned shops, and looted some items.
There are also reports that other factory workers in Maputsoe industrial park also took to the streets in the night to protest Maliehe’s announcement.
Some police officers who were seen trying to intervene had to flee the area as the protestors who took to the streets following the minister’s speech had gathered in high numbers gunshots were heard in the area.
Maliehe said the labor Minister was ill he attended to the workers’ demands. He said after having listened to the issues raised by all stakeholders a cabinet ministers’ sub-committee has decided to call for the assistance of the international labor organization instead of releasing a minimum wages gazette.
Maliehe also mentioned that a new labor law that has been on the cards for decades will be fast-tracked and passed by the national reforms authority and passed to parliament soon.
he said the new law would bring the labor unrest to be a thing of the past, but in the meantime, a minimum wages gazette would only be released after the intervention of the ILO.
KDNews understands that Soldiers ended being deployed to the area to quell the unrest.
