The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in the Western Cape will lead a mass march to Parliament and the City of Cape Town on Friday, 19 June 2026, calling for urgent action to address the growing cost-of-living crisis affecting workers and poor communities.

The march will begin at Hanover Street at 10:00, where COSATU members, community organisations and supporters are expected to gather before handing over memorandums outlining their demands.

COSATU Western Cape Provincial Secretary Malvern de Bruyn says rising prices of food, electricity, water, fuel and transport, coupled with stagnant wages, are placing immense pressure on working-class households.

“Workers and communities across South Africa, and particularly in the Western Cape, are facing a deepening cost-of-living crisis. Households have been forced into a debt spiral as the prices of basic goods and services continue to rise while wages fail to keep pace with worsening economic conditions. Research indicates that consumers are taking home approximately 47% less in real terms than they did a decade ago, while the costs of essential services such as electricity, water, food and transport have increased dramatically. Working-class families are being squeezed from all sides and are struggling to meet their daily needs.”

Among the federation’s demands are lower electricity and water tariffs, reduced fuel and food prices, increases in social grants, stronger enforcement of the National Minimum Wage, and the introduction of a Universal Basic Income Grant.

“The time has come for workers and communities to unite and demand decisive action to address the cost-of-living crisis. Together, we can build a society where all people can live with dignity and social security.”

COSATU has called on workers and communities across the province to join the protected march, saying collective action is needed to push for economic relief and social justice.

The parliamentary committee tasked with conducting the Section 89 impeachment inquiry into President Cyril Ramaphosa has resolved to oppose the President’s urgent court application seeking to stop its work.

The committee announced on Thursday that it will also ask National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza to join it in opposing the interdict application.

Ramaphosa launched the urgent application on 12 June, asking the Western Cape High Court to prevent the committee from proceeding with the impeachment inquiry. The matter is scheduled to be heard on 15 and 16 July. This is separate from Ramaphosa’s bid to have the Section 89 panel report set aside.

According to the committee, its mandate stems from an order of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, which directed that the Independent Panel Report be referred to the impeachment committee for consideration under National Assembly rules.

The committee said the Constitutional Court order remains binding unless it is set aside or amended by a competent court. It noted that a key legal issue before the courts is whether the Western Cape High Court can suspend obligations arising from a Constitutional Court order.

Committee chairperson Makashule Gana said the body remains bound by the Constitutional Court ruling and will continue carrying out its responsibilities unless directed otherwise by a court.

The committee is due to meet again on 24 June to consider its draft terms of reference and the appointment of evidence leaders. A notice to oppose the President’s application must be filed by 19 June.

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South Africa’s annual consumer inflation rate climbed to 4.5% in May from 4.0% in April, reaching its highest level since July 2024 and placing renewed pressure on already strained household budgets. 

According to Statistics South Africa, the surge was driven largely by fuel costs, with the fuel index rising by 14.3% in May and recording an annual increase of 28.7%. Petrol prices were up 24.8% year-on-year, while diesel costs soared by 53.8%. 

#SAInflation || The inflation surge was largely driven by increases in fuel prices.

The fuel index recorded a second large monthly increase, leaping by 14,3% to reach an annual rise of 28,7%.

🔗: https://t.co/GyEK5G16hI#StatsSA #KnowYourStatsZA #GovZAUpdates #CPI https://t.co/sxVAwbz3Vc

— Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke (@SGMaluleke) June 17, 2026

The increase has sparked concern among the labour federation COSATU, which warned that workers are bearing the brunt of rising living costs.

“Workers cannot afford to see a rise in inflation, especially over such a short period of time, given that most workers are paid a pittance and not a living wage by their employers,” read the COSATU’s statement. 

COSATU added that the inflation spike is “bleeding workers who are already drowning in debt, borrowing at unsustainable levels, simply to buy food and electricity and service other debt”. 

While food inflation continued to ease, falling to 1.9% from 2.9% in April, consumers still faced higher prices in several categories, including dairy products, tea and household staples. Electricity and municipal charges also remained significant contributors to inflationary pressure. 

The South African Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee is scheduled to meet on 23 July, following a 25-basis-point increase in the repo rate to 7% last month. 

COSATU urged policymakers to avoid further rate hikes, arguing that the current inflation surge is fuel-driven and not caused by domestic demand. It also called for fuel levy relief and measures to shield workers and grant recipients from rising costs. 

“Similarly, Eskom must be assisted to reduce the increasingly unaffordable price of electricity… If inflation continues to increase, government must table a supplementary budget amendment bill to cushion Social and SRD Grant recipients from inflation.”

READ MORE: COSATU notes with deep concern the rise in CPI to 4.5%