Freedom Day must be lived realities, not empty promises for the working class
NUPSAW stands with the people of South Africa to mark Freedom Day, a day born from the courageous struggles against apartheid’s cruelty and injustice. This day should not only pay tribute to past sacrifices but also shine a light on the daily hardships faced by millions of workers still caught in poverty, inequality, and exclusion.
Three decades after democracy’s dawn, our Constitution’s promise of human rights as stipulated in the bill of rights still feels distant for most. For the working class, freedom is not lofty concepts but the daily realities of food, healthcare, shelter, safety, and meaningful work. Now, these essentials are under relentless threat.
South Africa remains one of the world’s most unequal nations, where poverty and joblessness run deep. Millions scrape by on meagre wages, with over 6.5 million earning barely R5,400 a month, while unemployment hovers at a crisis point.
The cost of living continues to rise sharply where basic food items such as maize meal and stable goods have increased significantly, placing immense pressure on working-class households. The household food basket continues to rise, forcing families to cut back on essential nutrition and poverty continues to disproportionately affect children and working-class communities, entrenching generational poverty and inequality.
These realities expose the contradiction between constitutional rights and daily life. A right to dignity means little when workers cannot afford food, transport, or basic services.
NUPSAW is deeply concerned about the escalating cost of healthcare for public servants, particularly through the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS). Early this year, GEMS implemented a contribution increase of approximately 9.5% (initially 9.8%), following a 13.4% increase in 2025, resulting in a cumulative increase of over 23% in just two years. Public servants received only about 5.5% wage increase previously and around 4% going forward, far below medical cost increases. Employer subsidies have failed to keep pace, leaving workers to absorb the burden.
The result is a direct erosion of workers’ real income. Public servants are now forced to choose between accessing healthcare and meeting basic household needs. This is a violation of the fundamental right to healthcare and dignity. Healthcare, inflation and governance failures cannot be resolved at the expense of workers. A medical scheme established to serve public servants must not become unaffordable to the very people it was designed to protect.
Furthermore, we are equally concerned about the surge of crime, Gender-based violence and femicide cases that continue to devastate working-class communities. Women, particularly in poor and working-class households, face daily threats to their safety both in their homes and workplaces. The persistence of crime and GBV reflects a broader failure to protect fundamental human rights. Women cannot meaningfully enjoy freedom where violence, fear, and insecurity define their everyday lives. Economic hardship further traps victims in abusive environments, making it harder to escape cycles of violence.
Freedom day must reflect the broader crisis facing society; rising gender-based violence continues to disproportionately affect working-class women. Communities face growing insecurity, crime, and social decay. Austerity policies continue to undermine public services and deepen inequality.
Austerity measures continue to erode the capacity of the public service, with devastating consequences for both workers and the communities they serve. Ongoing budget cuts have resulted in chronic staff shortages across hospitals, clinics, schools, and other public institutions, forcing workers to operate under extreme pressure with inadequate resources. This has normalized exploitation, where employees are expected to take on excessive workloads, work extended hours, and perform duties beyond their job descriptions without a dignified salary
NUPSAW believes that Freedom is still just a dream for the working class. Their dignity is still infringed upon all in the name of “Transformation”. We believe that more still needs to be done to eradicate the injustices that workers face on a daily basis. The struggle of the workers still continues! There is a dire need for economic liberation before we can confidently refer to this day as “Freedom Day”!
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For media enquiries contact NUPSAW MLO Neo Lebethe on 069 742 4004