Joint COSATU, SACP and SASCO Mpumalanga media statements on Political Developments in the Province

5 March 2012

The Congress of South African Trade Unions, the South African Communist Party and the South African Student Congress in Mpumalanga are mobilising their members for the mother of all battles protest march to be held on the 07 March 2012.

The three progressive organisations will jointly lead two protest marches in Mpumalanga to protest in demand of the following:-

• The total banning of the labour brokers
• To demand for an end to corruption in the province.
• To demand for the outcome of the investigation on the murder of political leaders in the province.

The protest marches will be held as follows: -

• Emalahleni Municipality - from Lynnville stadium to the Department of Labour.
• Mbombela Municipality - from the Nelspruit Showground to the Provincial Legislature.

ON THE LABOUR BROKERS

The system of labour brokers is in direct contradiction with the Decent Work Agenda as defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO),.

It is in direct contradiction with the values of our constitution, it is in direct contradiction with the Labour Relations Act of this country. COSATU, SACP and SASCO demands for the total banning of the system of labour brokering for the following reasons: -

• Labour brokers do not create jobs but merely act as intermediaries to access the job that already exist.
• The replacement of normal jobs through Labour broking arrangements effectively destroys jobs.
• Labour broking is tantamount to slavery, as it amounts to the trading of human beings as commodities.
• Apart from undermining collective bargaining rights, labour brokers are also often called upon to provide scab labour as substitute for workers on strike.
• Labour broking, combined with other forms of a typical work reflects current trends of the intensification of the rate of exploitation of workers.
• Labour brokering amounts to delegation or refusal of the true employer to comply with its obligation

Increased regulation of the Labour brokers will not work because capacity constraints with the Department of Labour to enforce existing legislations and a ban against labour brokers have proven to be simply cumbersome for the Department of Labour.

ON CORRUPTION

COSATU, SACP and SASCO demands for the end to corruption in the province. We believe that corruption steels from the poor.

Corruption is rife in Mpumalanga.

Recently the Auditor General reported that more than 80% of the tenders issued in the province were issued irregular.

Amongst the many corruption cases in the province are the following: -

• The 43 million scandals regarding the building of the Mbombela stadium.
• The withdrawal of the charges against the former municipal manager Mr Jacob Dladla and the golden handshake given to Mr Dladla by the Mbombela Municipality.
• The tractor scandal in the Department of Agriculture costing hundreds of millions of rands.
• More than R300 000.00 million that MEGA is failing to account for.
• The theft of R2,7 million from the Mbombela Municipality.

THE KILLING OF POLITICAL LEADERS IN THE PROVINCE

It is now more than twelve (12) months since the suspended National Police Commissioner General Bheki Cele announced that he has instituted of 12 highly qualified investigators to probe the killing of political leaders in Mpumalanga.

The people of Mpumalanga are not prepared to wait until another political leader is murdered before demanding the outcome of the investigation.

Over the past six years or so, more than ten political leaders were murdered in Mpumalanga.

Amongst those murdered are the following: -

Bomber Ntshangase - SACP leader in Mpumalanga
Gabriel Mkhumbane (Deputy President) - Swaziland Pupils United Democratic Movement Organisation
Johan Ndlovu - Chief Whip of the Mbombela Local Municipality
Sammy Mpatlanyane - Mpumalanga Sports, Arts and Culture Spokesman
Jimmy Mohlala - Mbombela Local Municipality Speaker

COSATU, SACP and SASCO demands the outcome of the above cases and many more and the outcome of the probe against the political murder in the province as instituted by the suspended National Police Commissioner.

For more information please contact the following:-

COSATU Provincial Secretary
Fidel Mlombo
0827195699

SACP Provincial Secretary
Bonakele Majuba
0829684877

SASCO Provincial Secretary
Sfiso Makhabane
0784272744