COSATU slams proposed R700 million budget for National Dialogue [SOUND]

# The Congress of South African Trade Unions has dismissed the proposed 700-million-rand budget for the National Dialogue as reckless and out of touch. COSATU’s Matthew Parks says the suggestion is an insult to struggling South Africans facing austerity and high living costs. While supporting the dialogue’s objectives, he warned against such verbal gaffes and urged government to allocate a modest budget that reflects the country’s economic realities: