Johannesburg\u00a0– Cosatu<\/a> will on September 27 hold a nationwide strike against state capture, corruption, and job losses, the trade union federation announced on Thursday.<\/p>\n It had already obtained a certificate to strike from the National Economic Development and Labour Council<\/a> (Nedlac), general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali<\/a> told reporters after its central executive committee meeting, which ended on Wednesday.<\/p>\n All Cosatu affiliates in various sectors would join the strike.<\/p>\n The twin evils of corruption and job losses had cost workers their jobs and robbed people of much-needed services, he said.<\/p>\n Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini<\/a> said the strike was not about President Jacob Zuma<\/a>, who has been accused of being involved in state capture involving his friends, the Gupta family<\/a>.<\/p>\n “We are striking against corruption in the private and public sector and any individual supposedly guilty of corruption will be targeted.”<\/p>\n A proposal for members to march to ANC<\/a> headquarters Luthuli House<\/a>, following\u00a0Cosatu\u2019s call for Zuma to step down<\/a>, was made in the central executive committee but rejected.<\/p>\n The federation was instrumental in Zuma ascending to the presidency in 2009. It, however, turned against him following his Cabinet reshuffle in March. It\u00a0banned him<\/a>\u00a0from attending or speaking at its events.<\/p>\n Cosatu first deputy president Tyotyo James<\/a> said Cosatu would continue its campaign for Zuma to step down.<\/p>\n The trade union federation said the judicial commission of inquiry into state capture should not be limited to the Gupta family\u2019s alleged influence on the executive and state-owned enterprises. It should extend to before 1994 and include the government of national unity, led by former president Nelson Mandela<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should know who has been getting tenders at Eskom<\/a> over so many decades. Apart from the Guptas, how many other families have been getting tenders from Eskom, Denel<\/a>, SAA<\/a>?\u201d Dlamini asked.<\/p>\n It was an undeniable fact that the state, including Treasury, had long been captured, he said.<\/p>\n Ntshalintshali said rumours about underhand deals and looting of the state on the eve of the democratic dispensation could not be ignored.<\/p>\n Former Public Protector\u00a0Thuli Madonsela<\/a> investigated the Gupta family\u2019s alleged undue influence on government. They allegedly offered some ANC leaders ministerial jobs, in exchange for their businesses getting favourable treatment and government tenders.<\/p>\n She recommended that a judicial inquiry, led by a judge, investigate these allegations. Zuma had\u00a0taken the report on review<\/a>, arguing that Mandonsela overstepped her powers.<\/p>\n He said that only the president had the power to institute an inquiry and appoint a judge to head it.<\/p>\n This material belongs to: EWN<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cosatu has also called a nationwide strike for Wednesday in protest against corruption and state capture.<\/p>\n CAPE TOWN – The\u00a0Congress of South African Trade Unions<\/a>\u00a0(Cosatu) in the Western Cape<\/a> will lead a protest outside the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa<\/a> (Prasa<\/a>)\u2019s head offices in Cape Town on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The trade union federation\u2019s provincial officials believe alleged corruption at the rail operator is contributing towards its failure to supply reliable train services.<\/p>\n Provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich<\/a> says: \u201cPrasa\u2019s providing a horrendous transport service to its members. The trains are in a bad shape. The service providers are lying to commuters when there are no trains available and they\u2019re overcharging people for tickets when there are no seats on the trains available for the tickets they’ve sold.\u201d<\/p>\n Cosatu has also called a nationwide strike for Wednesday in\u00a0protest against corruption and state capture<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in an unprecedented move, a national strike planned for Wednesday has received the backing of several business associations.<\/p>\n Business Leadership South Africa<\/a> has pledged its support for Cosatu-led industrial action.<\/p>\n The labour federation called the strike to protest corruption and state capture.<\/p>\n This material belongs to: North Eastern Tribune<\/a>.<\/p>\n JOBURG \u2013 As Cosatu is planning to hold what is dubbed the mother of all marches, Mayor says they must direct their grievances to the Gupta home as all corruption starts there.<\/p>\n Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba<\/a> said if Cosatu is against corruption, they must march to the Gupta home.<\/p>\n As Cosatu will be embarking on a national strike on 27 September to protest against state capture and corruption, City of Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba has a very short message for the trade union, \u2018Go protest at the headquarters of corruption, Saxonwold<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n National spokesperson of Cosatu Sizwe Pamla<\/a> said their first stop will actually be at the City\u2019s headquaters, the Metro Centre in Braamfontein<\/a>. According to Pamla, they will drop a memorandum of demands to the Mayor\u2019s office where, among other things, they will be demanding that free basic water is given back to the working class. He said they also want to address the issue of unfair suspensions on workers by the City and what he claimed is employment discrimination within the City.<\/p>\n In a statement, Mashaba said Cosatu and its affiliates should be applauding the City not marching against it, as it has made strides in fighting things that Cosatu claim to be against, like labour broking. The mayor mentioned that bringing the\u00a0Jozi@Work<\/a>\u00a0programme to an end was one such bold and decisive step his administration took.<\/p>\n \u201cThe\u00a0Jozi@Work\u00a0programme was a wolf in sheep\u2019s clothing, benefitting only the middlemen who were awarded multimillion-rand contracts to run projects.<\/p>\n For a trade union which is against labour brokers, it is ironic that Cosatu would support the\u00a0Jozi@Work\u00a0programme, which is essentially run by brokers,\u201d reads Mashaba\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n The mayor also highlighted how his administration is fighting daily to deal with corruption within the City.<\/p>\n On the issue of free basic water, Mashaba said it was part of the City\u2019s commitment to care for the poorest residents. \u201cWe have committed to providing free basic water to residents on the City\u2019s indigent list. Depending on household income, our poorest residents will receive up to a maximum of 15 kilolitres of free water per household, per month in line with the City\u2019s Expanded Social Package Policy<\/a>,\u201d Mashaba said in a statement, adding that it was bizarre that Cosatu seeks to protect the interest of society\u2019s elite.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Cosatu and its affiliates are determined to fight corruption, they must first take this fight to where corruption is planned, at Saxonwold,\u201d Mashaba said in a statement.<\/p>\n This material belongs to: fin24<\/a>.<\/p>\n Johannesburg – South Africa\u2019s biggest labour organisation urged workers to strike on Wednesday to protest against what it called \u201cthe cancer of corruption\u201d spreading among business and government leaders and threatening the nation\u2019s democracy under President Jacob Zuma.<\/p>\n The action is the boldest step yet by the\u00a0Congress of South African Trade Unions to pile pressure on Zuma, whom it helped to win control of the ruling African National Congress in 2007 and then turned against after he fired Pravin Gordhan<\/a> as finance minister in March. That move prompted S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings<\/a> to downgrade the nation\u2019s credit assessment to junk.<\/p>\n \u201cThis strike is about sending a message to both government and private sector that as workers and citizens we are tired of corruption,\u201d Bheki Ntshalintshali, general secretary of the 1.7-million-member Cosatu, told reporters in Johannesburg on Tuesday.<\/p>\n At least 13 protests will be staged across the nine provinces, with demonstrators voicing their grievances and bringing criminal charges against corrupt officials, the confederation said.<\/p>\n The labour action will place further pressure on Africa\u2019s most industrialised economy, which the central bank expects to expand 0.6% this year. It may also further dent business confidence, which fell to its lowest level in more than three decades last month.<\/p>\n Cosatu is taking to the streets just three months before the ANC is scheduled to elect a new leader to replace Zuma, 75. It\u2019s backing Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa<\/a> to replace Zuma when he steps down as ANC leader in December, while the president\u2019s favoured successor is Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma<\/a>, his ex-wife and former chairperson of the African Union Commission<\/a>.<\/p>\n The strike has the support of the South African Communist Party<\/a>, which like Cosatu is a member of the country\u2019s ANC-led ruling coalition. The protesters aim to show Zuma, who\u2019s been implicated in a succession of scandals, that they want him to quit, according to Solly Mapaila<\/a>, the party\u2019s deputy secretary.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is at the centre of this corruption that is taking place in government,\u201d\u00a0Mapaila said. \u201cHe is the buffer, the main protector, the main distributor, the main person who makes it possible.”<\/p>\n Zuma has faced almost daily reports of new details on his friendship with the Gupta family and its alleged influence over his administration which is known locally as \u201cstate capture<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n The scandal has affected global companies such as accountants KPMG<\/a> and consultancy McKinsey<\/a>, which have been implicated in facilitating, being party to or turning a blind eye to their deals. Public relations firm Bell Pottinger<\/a> collapsed after it was found to have mounted a racially divisive campaign while working for the Guptas. Zuma and the Guptas deny wrongdoing.<\/p>\n Phumla Williams<\/a>, the acting director-general of the Government Communication and Information System<\/a>, didn\u2019t answer calls to her mobile phone or respond to a message seeking comment.<\/p>\n Business Unity South Africa<\/a> urged employers to allow workers to participate in the protest on a no-work, no-pay basis and said they can\u2019t be dismissed for taking part unless they\u2019re employed in essential services.<\/p>\n \u201cBusa is not endorsing protest action by Cosatu, although it supports the call against state capture and corruption,\u201d Tanya Cohen<\/a>, the business lobby group\u2019s chief executive officer, said by email.<\/p>\n This material belongs to: Daily Maverick<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cosatu says it\u2019s ready for its nationwide strike to be held on Wednesday. The federation is billing the demonstrations as a game-changer in the fight against corruption while critics claim Cosatu won\u2019t target those who have captured the state. By Greg Nicolson<\/a>.<\/p>\n SACP Deputy Secretary General Solly Mapaila said on Monday that Cosatu\u2019s nationwide strike will permanently change the country as the labour movement is clearly coming out to express its disgust with corruption and state capture. \u201cIt\u2019s not just another march where we just march tomorrow and that\u2019s it,\u201d he said, claiming it will begin a rolling programme of mass action.<\/p>\n Cosatu, supported by the SACP, will hold 13 marches across the country on Wednesday against corruption. It will lead marches in all major cities and deliver memoranda to state and private institutions. Workers wanting to participate in the strike are protected from facing any consequences at their workplaces after Nedlac issued a section 77 certificate covering the event.<\/p>\n \u201cThis strike is about sending a message to both government and the private sector that as workers and citizens we are tired of corruption,\u201d said Cosatu General Secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali at a media briefing on Tuesday. \u201cWe are standing up tomorrow against the cancer of corruption that is eroding our gains and also undermining our democracy.<\/p>\n \u201cCorruption has become endemic under this administration,\u201d he said of President Jacob Zuma\u2019s government. Mapaila said Zuma was an \u201celite predator\u201d. \u201cHe has been the buffer, the main protector, the main distributor.\u201d<\/p>\n Cosatu\u2019s statement specifically criticised Finance Minster Malusi Gigaba<\/a>\u2019s alleged attempt to use funds from the PIC to support struggling state-owned entities, allegations of corruption against the Gupta family, illicit financial flows, scandals at auditor KPMG, as well as the leadership of Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini<\/a> and Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cOur martyrs did not sacrifice their lives so that greed and corruption can replace our freedom,\u201d said Ntshalintshali. Cosatu is calling for a judicial commission of inquiry into state capture. \u201cThe time to reclaim the electoral mandate we gave to the ANC is now.\u201d Cosatu\u2019s second deputy president Zingiswa Losi<\/a> called on workers to unite behind the strike regardless of which union, sector or federation they were affiliated to. She also called on civil society and ANC members to attend.<\/p>\n Both Cosatu and the SACP have called for President Zuma to resign. Divisions over the ANC leader have led to a breakdown in relations within the ruling alliance. The ANC has failed to hold alliance meetings with its partners and recent attempts to hold discussions have been postponed. Zuma has been barred from addressing Cosatu and SACP events. The labour federation has publicly backed Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to succeed Zuma as leader of the ANC.<\/p>\n Finding common ground in the fight against corruption, Business Unity SA (Busa) and Business Leadership SA (BLSA) have announced their support for Cosatu\u2019s mass demonstrations.<\/p>\n The strike has been criticised by the SA Federation of Trade Unions<\/a> (Saftu), led by former Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi<\/a> and dominated by the country\u2019s biggest trade union, former Cosatu affiliate the National Union of Metalworkers SA<\/a> (Numsa<\/a>). \u201cThere is no principle being pursued by the leaders of Cosatu,\u201d said Vavi, \u201cif anything this strike is about maintaining the status quo \u2013 which is class exploitation.\u201d<\/p>\n In response, Cosatu affiliate the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union<\/a> (Popcru) said Saftu and its leaders remained obsessed with the country\u2019s largest labour federation. \u201cWe view this malicious attack as yet another failed attempt to scandalously cast doubt among workers and usurp their trust for their personal ends, but most importantly, we are still awaiting to hear exactly what it is they are doing for workers besides gossiping about Cosatu,\u201d said Popcru.<\/p>\n The protest action has also been criticised by Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba, who said Cosatu should march to the Gupta family\u2019s residence in Saxonwold rather than to institutions like the City of Johannesburg.<\/p>\n Cosatu was weakened by the expulsions of Numsa and Vavi and the march, while ostensibly about corruption, will be an indicator of whether the federation has been able to regain its strength and unify members.<\/p>\n This material belongs to: Daily Maverick<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mass anti-state capture protests across the country got off to a slow and staggered start in Johannesburg and Cape Town this morning, with Cosatu and the SACP failing \u2013 at least initially \u2013 to draw expected numbers. By Rebecca Davis, Orateng Lepodise, Bheki C Simelane and Puseletso Nthate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n South African Communist Party and Cosatu leaders rallied this morning to gather the crowds for 13 anti-corruption marches scheduled across the country.<\/p>\n In Cape Town, crowds failed to materialise in the numbers previously predicted by Cosatu provincial leadership.<\/p>\n Some marchers were delayed in their arrival by, ironically, the train system they were travelling to protest against. Outside Cape Town’s central train station, Cosatu Western Cape boss Tony Ehrenreich delivered a memorandum of demands to a Metrorail representative. Among them: half-price train tickets, more buses and taxis to service the Cape Flats and townships, and a proper public transport system in rural areas.<\/p>\n \u201cDown with Zuma down!\u201d shouted a crowd led by leaders from Cosatu and the South African Communist Party, including deputy Secretary General Jeremy Cronin<\/a>. \u201cUp with Ramaphosa up!\u201d<\/p>\n A Cosatu supporter at the march said that countrywide, they would easily draw 100,000 protesters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In Johannesburg by lunch time, around 5000 members had gathered for the strike against state capture. First stop: City of Johannesburg offices. Marchers say they are tired of President Jacob Zuma and corruption.<\/p>\n The strike\u00a0got off to a slow start outside Cosatu house. As the numbers swelled the march proceeded to the City of Johannesburg Municipal offices.<\/p>\n \u201cI am here today because I am tired of corruption and our President. He is failing us as a nation. It is time he stepped down (to) allow Ramaphosa to clean the mess he has created,\u201d said Thembisile Sikade, a 38-year-old who works at New Vaal Colliery<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cosatu, supported by the SACP, embarked on the protest after a stream of corruption allegations revealed in the Public Protector\u2019s State of Capture<\/a> report and reports on #Guptlaeaks<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the list of their demands to Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba the party wanted: access to water and electricity; for the city to review reports from KPMG and for the city to stop working with KPMG; and for workers who were suspended or retrenched to be reinstated.<\/p>\n “I am ready for Ramaphosa to step in now, we are tired of Zuma and his dodgy ways it’s time he gives us back our country,” said Tyra Fortuin, a 29-year-old worker from Helen Joseph Hospital<\/a>.<\/p>\n From the City of Johannesburg offices the march was due to proceed to FNB Bank City<\/a>, the Gauteng<\/a> premier\u2019s office and the Chamber of Mines<\/a> where protesters were due to deliver further memorandums on corruption and state capture.<\/p>\n Protesters hold placards reading “Zuma Must Go\u201d and “Away with the Gupta’s and associates.” Outside the municipal offices they sang: “We are ready for Ramaphosa.”<\/p>\n The march started at about 11.20am, just over an hour behind schedule. One marshal said the reason for the delay was because members kept arriving. Thousands lined the streets of Braamfontein, propelled by song.<\/p>\n Cosatu affiliates in attendance included Sadtu<\/a>, Sactwu<\/a> and Nehawu<\/a>.<\/p>\n SACP General Secretary and higher education Minister Blade Nzimande<\/a> was among union and SACP leaders who later addressed the crowds.<\/p>\nCommission\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
COSATU: PRASA corruption contributes to poor train services in WC<\/h3>\n
Mayor says Cosatu must march to Saxonwold, headquarters of corruption<\/h3>\n
Zuma under fire as unions turn up heat on corruption<\/h3>\n
Communist support<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Cosatu rolls out its mass protest action plan for Wednesday<\/h3>\n
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#CosatuStrike: Leaders rally crowds for countrywide anti-corruption protests<\/h3>\n
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