EFF Protests Against Racial Discrimination Outside Siemens Offices in Midrand, Demands Meeting With CEO

• The Economic Freedom Fighters picketed outside the headquarters of Siemens in Midrand on Thursday, 16 March
• The party accused the company of racial discrimination for allegedly paying white workers more than their back counterparts and offering white trainees more opportunities
• The EFF vowed to shut Siemens down if the company's CEO did not hold a meeting with them next week

MIDRAND - The Economic Freedom Fighters' descended on Siemans' head officers in Midrand to protest claims of racially motivated unfair labour practices on Thursday, 16 March.

Bussed in by 11 taxis, around 100 party members clad in party regalia picketed out side Siemens, demanding a meeting with the company's CEO.

The protesting Red Berets accused Siemens of not paying black workers the same salaries as their white counterparts. The EFF also alleged that white trainers were offered opportunities for overseas training and permanent positions, opportunities that were not extended to black trainees.

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TimesLIVE reported that protestors were met with heavy police presence and private security companies as they chanted and sang songs for almost three hours.

Despite the police presence, the protest remained relatively calm. Speaking exclusively to Briefly News, Johannesburg Metro Police Department spokesperson Xolani Fihla confirmed that EFF members arrived at Siemens to hand over a memorandum.

Fihla said:

"The EFF's demonstrations caused traffic disruptions on Janadel Ave. The protests went off without incident as no injuries or damage to property were reported to JMPD."

EFF protestors refuse to hand over memorandum to Siemens management

Though the EFF went to Seimans hoping to meet with the company's CEO, the protestors were told the CEO was away on business in Germany.

Gauteng EFF deputy chair Phillip Makwala told protestors:

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“We are not going to hand over the memorandum today. We will come back to a round-table meeting. If that fades, we will come back to a shutdown and make sure that ... Siemens (operations) come to a halt."

Resident protest water disruption in Klipfontein View, Midrand

Meanwhile, another protest broke out in Klipfontein View, Midrand, early on Friday morning, 17 March.

Residents took to the streets to protest prolonged water outages in the area and barricaded roads with burning tyres and rocks.

JMPD officers were deployed to the area and managed to clear the road and remove the debris. The protesters have since dispersed and calm has settled over the area, according to The Citizen.

South Africans weigh in on EFF's protest outside Siemens

This is what South Africans had to say about the Siemens protest.

@DesireTablai commented:

"Siemens must just take their business to a different country. Then they're all jobless."

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@MabothaPhokwane said:

"Vavi & Numsa must assist those trainees. Jooh some of the leaders are talking too much on Tv while they fail to perform their duties. Thanks, fighters."

@Rajiv06361324 claimed:

"This happens in most of the telecom industries in Joburg."

@PhoiMann demanded:

"They must close shop. We can't tolerate racism."

@GI_Irvin added:

"It’s about time."

Labour Court dismisses discrimination case of 5 Makro employees who were allegedly paid less based on race

In another story, Briefly News reported that a Labour Court dismissed the discrimination case of five black Makro workers.

The court found that the five employees failed to prove that Makro discriminated against them based on race because their white colleague earned more than them.

The dispute started in 2018 when the group discovered how much Makro paid their colleague after someone left her payslip in a printer.

Source: Briefly News