And thousands more jobs are under threat because of plans to privatise state-owned enterprises and 'restructure' local government.
Poverty stalks huge areas of the country, especially the rural areas.
Millions of our people are struggling to survive on handouts from their few working relatives. Statistics SA has confirmed that income per head has fallen as the rise in population outstrips economic growth. Now some of the workers' hard-won rights are under threat from proposed changes in the labour laws. If they are imposed bosses will be able to force workers to work for longer hours and even less pay. Already, on our 10 May general strike, four million workers made it clear that they support the campaign to smash poverty and create quality jobs.