In what was a show of force to the rival federation SAFTU and to opposition parties ahead of the 2019 general elections, COSATU and tripartite alliance leaders used the platform of Workers’ Day to defend the proposed labour law amendments and national minimum wage.
Cape Town’s busiest train route, the central line has been reopened after 6 weeks of suspension following the shooting murder of a security guard at Chris Hani station in Khayelitsha.
The Cosatu in the Western Cape has condemned the protest march by farmers on Monday. The protest was organised by AgriSA, Freedom Front+ and Afri-Forum. According to the statement released by Cosatu WC on Tuesday, the protest was racist and to be protesting ‘farm attacks’ and not ‘attacks that take place on farms’ “is an attempt to politicise the violence and isolate it to one group”.
Cape Town Councillor for Transport and Urban Development announced the City’s intention to take over management of commuter rail. Cosatu differs, saying that public transport must be the responsibility of higher tiers of government, as well as warning of a political ploy
After much criticism on their silence and failure to participate in previous public demonstrations against state capture and corruption, the Congress of the South African Trade Unions and its affiliates finally came out to make their voices heard.
“If Zuma will not go, we are prepared to fight. Our country cannot be run by one family.” These were the words of the SACP Deputy Secretary Chris Mathlako in front of the East London City Hall on Wednesday.
“They both got money from the Guptas, but Zille claims she took it back but we know how she can lie.” According to Ehrenreich both President Zuma and Western Cape Premier Helen Zille have used state resources to get their sons into business.
Former Deputy Minister of Finance, Mcebisi Jonas believes that the biggest historical mistake the country made after 1994 was to demobilize society and pin the country’s hopes on liberators and political parties. Jonas was addressing a crowd of demonstrators from civil society outside Parliament who were calling for President Zuma to be removed.
Pick n Pay has announced that it is to shed 3,500 jobs in the Western Cape. Its announcement was met this week by condemnation from the union at the frontline, SACCAWU as well as COSATU and SAFTU.
The Congress of South African Trade Union, COSATU has called for the resignation of Bathabile Dlamini following the SASSA debacle.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions, COSATU, has accused food companies of exploiting the poor by increasing bread prices at a time when the cost of wheat has come down.
“The ANC came before democracy.” This statement by President Jacob Zuma was obviously incorrect since the concept of democracy pre-dated the formation of the ANC in 1912 by about 2,500 years.
It came to us from the ancient Greeks who also provided the term, taken from demos (people) and kratos (power). However Zuma did go on to explain that he meant his comment to apply to South Africa where the first non-racial parliamentary elections were staged 82 years after the birth of what became the ANC.
This, along with comments made at last week’s Cosatu congress, put the whole question of what democracy means into focus. At the same time, the media was again accused of misleading the voting public and so undermining both the ANC and its trade union partner.
But does universal adult suffrage — votes for all to a parliament — equal democracy? And is the media really able, to a large degree, to manipulate public opinion and, therefore, harm the trade union movement and the country?
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