As fuel prices continue to soar and the public having to dig even deeper into their pockets, frustrations are mounting over their inability to make ends meet.
With the recent fuel price hike now costing consumers R26.31 per litre for petrol and R24.75 for diesel (according to AA fuel pricing), many have decided to take their frustrations out onto the streets in protest of the rising cost of living.
On Wednesday, 6 July, the residents of Verulam gathered outside the Trenance Park Clinic to voice their frustrations. A local vendor, Senzo Mcoyi, who is also a resident of Verulam, set up a small stall outside the clinic selling fruit, snacks and soft drinks.
Mcoyi later joined the protest as he believes that fuel prices are ridiculously high and greatly impact his profits. He said: “I’ve been running this stall for about three years now. Back then I would stock up everything I needed with just R200. However, I now stock up with R500. What used to be considered a lot of money is now almost nothing.”
Mcoyi said with a bale of chips now costing him R100 as well as the travel costs to the CBD and back increasing, he has seen his profits drop in quick succession. He said: “A bus trip to the Verulam CBD used to be R10. It is now R12. Although some might see it as a R2 difference, people like us still feel it. It’s money we cannot afford to lose.”
Another resident, Bongiwe Dladla, said she joined the protest to voice her concerns about the petrol price hike. “I’m unemployed with children and only collect a social grant. General transportation costs and food prices are extremely high. After spending the little that I have on food there isn’t any money for me to find employment. For now I’m like a beggar. I take any job that comes my way. If I find a job that’s far away I can’t afford to take it.”
Dladla said she does not believe government is doing everything they can to assist the poor. “They have truly failed us. If we look at the economy those who are rich are getting more rich and for us who are poor, we are getting more poor.”
