South Africa: Thousands March Against Unpopular Toll

Johannesburg---Tens of Thousands of South Africans took to the streets following a nationwide strike called by a trade union federation to demonstrate for improved worker rights and against new road tolls.

The Congress of South African Trade Union (COSATU), the country’s largest labour federation, said the proposed electronic tolling system expected to come into effect in April will hurt the poor, threatening more strikes if it is not scrapped.

In Johannesburg, South Africa’s economic hub, over 50,000 people marched peacefully in the streets of the city, according to the police, singing, chanting and waving placards with slogans “labour broking equals to modern day slavery” and “stop E-tolling, its highway robbery.”

Frustrations with many labour workers is said to have drawn them to the marches which took place in 32 towns and cities across South Africa on Wednesday, seen as the largest demonstration in recent years, likened to those in the 80s and 90s against the racist white rule, apartheid .

In a statement released on Wednesday, COSATU said they want the government to ban the country’s exploitative labour brokering in which middlemen act between employers and workers that amounts to “modern day slavery.”

"We must force the government and the ruling party, the African National Congress, to scrap the exorbitant e-tolling system and ban modern day slavery [labour broking]," COSATU said.

The E-toll system which is planned for roads between Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria, will see South Africans pay to use public roads at monthly charges of $70, a move seen by many to be expensive as it would raise the cost of doing business.

Zwelinzima Vavi, leader of COSATU said the toll debate adds to the amounting concerns over growing inequality in South Africa, responding to a move to exempt buses and taxi vans mainly used by the poor.

"The logic of those who say that the poor do not use our motorways, except by public transport, is that they should be permanently excluded from access to the best roads. They must find the potholed side-roads to get from A to B, while the rich glide along in their fancy cars," Vavi said.

COSATU forms part of the tripartite alliance with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party and the South Africa Communist party. It says ANC needs to be pushed to replace its corrupt and incompetent leaders who have hampered improvement of lives of blacks after being in power for 18 years.

In a statement the ANC termed the demonstrations as being “unnecessary” saying nonetheless it respects the right of those who want to protest. The federation has said it’s open to talks with the government over the toll system.

The government says it wants the E-tolling system to retrospectively finance the roads it upgraded during the 2010 football world Cup.

 Tripoli, Libya

Libyan Interim Leader Vows to Unite the Country

Libya’s interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil has called for dialogue with tribal and political leaders in eastern part of the country seeking semi-autonomy of the region, saying he is ready to defend national unity with force.

During Tuesday’s meeting held in the eastern city of Benghazi, Abdel Jalil told the 3000 tribal and political leaders that “we are not ready to divide Libya,” warning against remnants of the former Muammar Gaddafi regime in their midst wanting to exploit them.

"They should know that there are infiltrators and remnants of Gaddafi's regime trying to exploit them now, and we are ready to deter them, even with force," he said.

In his televised statement, Jalil accused “some Arab nations” of supporting and encouraging the push for autonomy by funding the “unacceptable strife,” which he termed as conspiracy against Libya and Libyans.

The leaders want to declare Benghazi, a former stronghold of the uprising that ended 41 years of Gaddafi rule, semi-autonomous, and would run its own government while matters of foreign policy, national army and oil resources would be left to central government at Tripoli.

The city was historically known as Cyrenaica during the federal years under monarchy of Idris Senussi from 1951to 1963, which split the country into three semi-autonomous states of Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and Fezzan.

The Benghazi gathering promised to end decades of marginalisation and named a council to run the region’s affair, appointing appointed Libya’s longest serving political prisoner under Gaddafi Ahmed al-Zubair, who is also member of the interim National Transitional Council (NTC) as leader of its governing council.

The leaders say the declaration is aimed at administrative independence not separation, which other NTC leaders say the tribal leaders were looking for political powers at the cost of ordinary people who want a unified Libya.

US President Barck Obama on Wednesday held meeting with Libya’s interim Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib to discuss the scheduled June elections, where Obama looks forward to close partnership between the two countries among other cooperations discussed.

In a statement released by the White House, Obama encouraged the prime minister to continue with election plans; stressing the importance of transparency and engagement with Libya's newly energized civil society as the government develops accountable institutions.

Libya’s NATO backed revolutionary uprising was officially declared over with capture and killing of Col Gaddafi in his birthplace of Sirte in October last year. Libya is due to hold its first election for a constituent assembly in June in line with a declaration by the ruling authorities.