WATCH: We are left out as SA celebrates #WorkersDay, says homeless man
Durban - Today we celebrate international workers day, the day workers celebrate their rights.
It was on May 1, 1890, when workers from the United states and most countries in Europe took to the street on a march demanding an eight-hour working day. Demonstrations were also held in Cuba, demanding equal rights for all and working-class unity.
The day remains celebrated across the world to this day. However, it is a shared belief among some unemployed citizens of South Africa that unemployment remains a challenge in the country.
“It’s an important day for workers but for us homeless people, I feel we are being left out as South Africans celebrate this particular day” said Bongani Madida, a visitor at the Denis Hurley Homeless Centre in the Durban CBD.
“I think a lot of people have the misconception that homeless people are homeless because they don’t want to work,” said Raymond Perrier who runs the Denis Hurley Centre.
Perrier added that research he conducted with the Human Science council indicated 70% of homeless people believed what would help them the most to get off the streets was finding a job.
Independent on Saturday