Black Sash press release, 28 November 2018
Arising from widespread concerns raised by civil society organizations, Black Sash hosted a Social Security Seminar from 21 to 23 November 2018 with the theme Facing A World Without Full Employment. The seminar focused on the causes for and options to address structural unemployment within South Africa.
SAFTU press statement, 2 November 2018
The South African Federation of Trade Unions congratulates the workers at Spar South Rand and their union THORN on their victory today when they reached an agreement that all rights conferred on a recognized representative trade union are being granted forthwith to THORN.
From 1 December 2018, all former employees of two labour brokers will be insourced and employed directly by Spar, and the grievances of these former Temporary Employment Service employees will be referred directly to Spar.
Since Monday 22 October, the residents of Jama community in inland Amadiba area have been blocking the works for the building of the Mtentu giant bridge. The blockade continued today.
The people of Jama demand that Sanral keeps it promises of giving the jobs to the locals. They demand:
Watch video of the blockade on the Amadiba Crisis Committee's Facebook page.
United Front press statement, 22 October 2018
On Thursday 18 October, 150 activists from the South Durban United Front marched in Umlazi. The march was called over the disappearance of R392-million, earmarked for low-cost housing in Ward 88 uMlazi, and supported by a range of organisations including the Right2Know campaign, Abahlali BaseMjondolo movement and Ubunye Bama Hostel. The march ended peacefully at the office of the eThekwini municipal councillor S’bu Maphumulo, at around 2pm.
The Communist Party of Swaziland fully supports the protest march to the US embassy demanding that the autocrat Mswati be returned from the US, where he is currently at the UN, to face the music in his crisis-ridden country.
The protest is being led by the teachers’ union SNAT and has been joined by students and others.
Swaziland is in meltdown. It is increasingly clear that the regime cannot hold onto power indefinitely. Its grip is already slipping. More and more workers are ready to act against the autocracy and to make it unworkable.
Media statement issued 20 September 2018
The Constitutional Court today closed the door on the skeletons that the Financial Services Board has been trying to hide in its judgement on Rosemary Hunter’s application for the cancellations by the FSB of 4,600 funds to be investigated. Beside the R250-million of Nkandla, the R5-billion graft of the arms deal or the billions lost to Gupta-ite capture, the pillaging of potentially hundreds of millions of rands of workers’ savings in provident and pension funds that are unpaid will remain hidden for now. The Court judged that the FSB (now known as the Financial Sector Conduct authority, FSCA) had done enough to review the cancellations and had acted in good faith, despite:
Marikana Support Campaign / Right2Know campaign / Socio Economic Rights Institute
Press Release 12 August 2018
It has been a full six years since the Marikana massacre took place. Most of the recommendations that came out of the Farlam Commission have still to be acted upon. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate recommended almost two years ago that 71 police officers be charged. To date only a few police are facing charges relating to the incident that began on the railway tracks on August 13th 2012.
Over 100 workers at Shoprite in Windhoek have been facing disciplinary charges and possible dismissal for 3 years for taking part in a strike which provoked by Shoprite’s illegal conduct. The workers are bravely fighting to keep their jobs and they want to be treated with respect and justice at work.
In July 2014 Shoprite unlawfully withheld a salary increase from those of its workers who belonged to a trade union that was seeking recognition as their collective bargaining representative. After the company ignored the workers’ petitions, they commenced a strike to resist this illegal discrimination. After one day, Shoprite backed down and paid the workers their increase.