Thousands Protest Against Corruption In South Africa.
Thousands of workers have taken to the streets in cities across South Africa to protest against government corruption, state capture and job losses.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP), both in alliance with the ruling ANC, say the strike on Wednesday is largely against corruption, but the call to take to the streets is also seen as an indictment against President Jacob Zuma.
Protests took place in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, among other cities, with marchers carrying 'Zuma Must Fall' placards and singing anti-Zuma songs.
COSATU wants Zuma to appoint a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate state corruption.
Solly Mapaila, SACP deputy general secretary, on Tuesday called for all workers to join the strike.
Senior members of the ANC have urged Zuma to step down following a series of accusation that the Gupta family have "captured the state".
In August, Zuma narrowly surviveda no-confidence vote held by secret ballot in parliament. Members of the 400-seat parliament voted, 198 to 177 with nine abstentions.
Ebrahim Fakir, a political analyst based in Johannesburg, said,
"People are tired of the internal processes [of the ANC] and they want leaders to get on with their jobs.
"This mass action is a show of force and this is what democracy is about," Fakir said.
But Fakir also said that though COSATU had a right to protest, it was important to remember that it was the trade union federation that played a role in bringing Zuma into power in the first place.
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