By Thapelo Molefe
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has accused the ANC-led Eastern Cape government of turning its back on thousands of workers whose livelihoods are under threat as Buffalo City’s automotive industry faces a worsening crisis.
According to the DA, the crisis – which was fuelled by escalating United States (US) tariff hikes — has already forced major production cuts and retrenchments at Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) in East London, where 702 workers are reportedly under the axe.
The party warned that unless urgent interventions were made, the fallout could cripple the metro’s economy.
“More than 113,000 residents in Buffalo City are already unemployed, and almost half of households survive on a single social grant,” said the DA in a statement on Tuesday.
“Every retrenchment pushes another family closer to poverty, hunger, and despair. Workers in the automotive sector now live with the daily fear that their jobs will be
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