Pretoria - High unemployment, rampant crime and drug abuse were among the socio-economic issues raised by the regional Young Communist League during their march to Tshwane House yesterday.
Marchers assembled in the morning at the Tshwane University of Technology campus in Arcadia, where they chanted Struggle songs.
En route to Tshwane House, they used Nelson Mandela Drive, moved on to Johannes Ramokhoase Street and Thabo Sehume Street until they reached Madiba Street leading them to their destination.
Motorists using streets such as Du Toit, Sisulu and Lilian Ngoyi were momentarily inconvenienced as marchers walked past.
High unemployment, rampant crime and drug abuse were among the socio-economic issues raised by the regional Young Communist League during their march from the TUT campus in Arcadia to Tshwane House. @CityTshwane @IOL #Tshwane #YoungCommunist #March #Protest #Protests #TUT pic.twitter.com/zDgvhw8JT4
— Pretoria News (@pretorianews) August 6, 2021
Tshwane Metro Police officers were on standby to monitor the situation and control traffic at the affected streets.
League spokesperson, Nkari Moagi, said the incumbent Tshwane administration led by the DA had sidelined the interests of young people since it assumed power in 2016.
"We want our municipality to take our young people seriously because ever since it was installed in 2016 the interest of young people has taken a back seat," he said.
He said students at the institutions of higher learning continued to drown in debt "and some are not even sure that they are going to graduate".
"We want the municipality to have a programme of addressing socio-economic challenges that are confronted by young people. We are not necessarily blaming the municipality but we are saying the municipality must intervene in the challenges because at some point these challenges are caused by politicians that are there in the city," Moagi said.
High unemployment, rampant crime and drug abuse were among the socio-economic issues raised by the regional Young Communist League during their march from the TUT campus in Arcadia to Tshwane House. @CityTshwane @IOL #Tshwane #YoungCommunist #March #Protest #Protests #TUT pic.twitter.com/LhkdBp7NUs
— Pretoria News (@pretorianews) August 6, 2021
The march was staged following the league's 5th district working committee meeting on July 28.
Participants at the meeting deliberated on the current Tshwane administration, concluding that it "intentionally disregards serving our poor toiling people with dignity and respect".
"It is highly unacceptable to live in the city which is unable to provide basic services to our people wherein massive resources are allocated to the city earmarked for the delivery of services," the league said in a statement.
The league called for the City to address issues of student bursaries, increased water and electricity tariffs, unemployment and gender-based violence, inclusive youth opportunities and corruption entailed in the memorandum of demands handed over to chief of staff Jordan Griffiths.
Griffiths promised that the City would look into the issues and revert back to the league's leadership.
Pretoria News