Catherwood LibraryILR School

Workers in South Africa went out on strike today, shutting down factories and mines, and bringing the economy to a standstill. Thousands of workers assembled outside the city hall in the capital, Pretoria, and a large number of supporters gathered in Cape Town, where Parliament is located. The police were called in to keep order in demonstrations across the country. The Congress of South African Trade Unions, which has almost two million members and is a supporter of the African National Congress, says the action was a warning to employers not to lay off workers because of a drop in profit.