The Congress of South African Trade Unions reiterates its position that it does not support the so called “people’s march” planned for tomorrow by Save South Africa organisation. We issue a clear and unambiguous message to our members to not join this march and not participate in any activities organised by Save SA. We are not confused about who our enemies are, and in everything we do, we will be guided by our class interests. We will never march with the agents on monopoly capital to remove a democratically elected government. 

Our strategic enemy is still monopoly capital and white monopoly capital in particular. We stand in opposition to Neo-liberalism and its ideologues both inside and outside the movement. We refuse to be useful idiots of those who want to remove President Zuma in order to remove the ANC from power and protect their ill-gotten wealth and inherited privileges. We do not support the regime change agenda. These are the same employers who always refuse workers, the right to participate in May Day activities and who will not hesitate to deduct workers ‘wages when workers embark on genuine struggles for a living wage. 

COSATU is clear that as the Alliance, we need to wage a robust struggle against our own weaknesses including self criticism, but we will never sell-out to the agents on white monopoly capital and their stooges. The fact that some people agree with us on the president stepping down, does not mean that they are our friends. They are saying this to drive their narrow regime change agenda and we reject it.

The same CEO’s that are pontificating about morality and values are themselves implicated and involved in serious corruption that is fleecing the poor. The private sector is not committed to root out corruption. They have refused to appoint social and ethics committee as required by company laws to evaluate their compliance with labour and corruption laws, and they have made application to companies’ tribunal to be exempted from the requirement to act ethically.  We are not going to be lectured by them and their hired hands about values.

Corruption in the private sector has got higher implications because of its ability to affect the whole economy and to bring the economy to its knees. Money is being taken out of the country by multinationals through base erosion and profit shifting and the rich take their wealth to offshore trusts.

COSATU calls on all Alliance members to close ranks against those, who are pushing a regime change agenda and also honestly work to dry up the swamp in which they are feeding and breeding, which is corruption. Despite our strong differences, we should not walk in fear of another and allow to be driven by that fear into an age of unreason.

We should also not be deterred from saving South Africans from poverty, unemployment and inequality. We shall continue to work to save the South African economy from a deep seated structural crisis that requires fundamental restructuring. We should work to sort out the level of concentration of economic power into a few hands and monopolies. COSATU will lead marches that are meant to save South Africa from racism, exploitation and neo-colonialism. This will include a march to remove racists like the Helen Zille of DA wherever they are in charge of economic and or political levers of powers.

We are unwavering in intensifying and deepening our struggle  for a socialist egalitarian system in which the control of wealth resides with the working class and which include massive distribution of wealth and heavy taxation of corporations.

Issued by COSATU