Price hike protests planned

Johannesburg - The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) plans to embark on rolling mass action against rising food, electricity and transport costs, and interest rates, the SABC reported on Wednesday.

This comes after the Competition Commission announced the formation of a crack team to investigate price fixing in the food industry.

Cosatu secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi said the labour federation would mobilise the public, to show its "anger in the streets".

He said from next week, a series of marches, demonstrations and stay-aways would begin.

"We have made a call for every organisation in South Africa to join us, so we can build the biggest coalition of organisations opposed to the current hikes, particularly in the food prices.

"This would put pressure on food manufacturers, retail companies and farmers, so that they stop profiting on the expense of the poor and ordinary South Africans."