City Press reports that a newly formed organisation called People Against Petrol and Paraffin Price Increases (Pappi) plans to shut down the country’s roads on Friday to protest against rising fuel prices.
In May the petrol price increased by 82c a litre and went up a further 26c earlier this month. Diesel and paraffin increased by 85c and 82c in May and June, respectively, and a further 26c for diesel and 22c for paraffin this month. According to a statement released by the Automobile Association last week, there was a likelihood next month of price increases of 19c per litre for petrol, 13c per litre for diesel and 22c for illuminating paraffin. Visvin Reddy, convener of Pappi, said the shutdown and stayaway would happen this week and indicated that they were in discussions with unions and taxi associations to make it happen on a large scale. Sizwe Pamla, national spokesperson for the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), noted that another petrol price hike would be bad for workers, poor people and low-income households. He observed that workers were in the middle of wage increase negotiations and “this is going to result in many strikes, a shrinking economy and retrenchments”
Read this report by Vukile Dlwati in full at City Press
