The Congress of South African Trade Unions supports the broad anti-corruption coalition that is mobilising and participating in various activities to demand action against the scourge of corruption. The Federation fully endorses and wholeheartedly supports the Orange Mask Campaign that has been initiated by progressive civil society and that is a response to the call by the South African Council of Churches for transparency, accountability, and consequences for C19 corruption. 

The Federation has already participated in a number of activities with the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation to call on government and other state institutions to act decisively against corruption. The cancer of corruption is sinking this country into an abyss and this calls for all sectors of society to unite and pushback against this scourge. The effects of corruption in the public sector harm the poor by increasing the costs of public services which should be free. Corruption in the private sector has got even higher implications because of its ability to affect the whole economy and to bring it to its knees.    

COSATU is prepared to work with all those who are willing to fight this toxic disorder that is liquidating this country and that steals from the poor. We can only have a successful partnership to fight corruption if we work together and show the same level of intolerance for private sector corruption as we do for public sector corruption. We should not apologise for public sector corruption and the same should apply in dealing with private sector corruption. 

The time has arrived for a people driven and people-centred economic development framework that will ensure optimal use of the resources and improve social welfare of the people without involving the looters and tenderpreneurs. 

The unethical political leaders who have looted the money budgeted for PPEs and stolen food parcels meant the por need to be prosecuted. The same should be done with those employers who have stolen money from the UIF TERS, the retail shops that have fixed the price of food and pharmaceutical companies that have fixed the price of medicine and other essentials during COVID-19.

We cannot afford to have these crooks and criminals occupying decision making positions in a country with 50% real unemployment, 60% of the working poor and 18 million people on welfare. 

The Federation is also mobilising workers and South Africans for its upcoming National Strike on the 07th of October 2020. Our members and workers in general are the amongst the biggest victims of corruption and enough is enough. We reiterate our call for all South Africans to stand up and make their voices heard. 

Issued by COSATU

 Sizwe Pamla (Cosatu National Spokesperson)

Tel: 011 339 4911
Fax: 011 339 5080
Cell: 060 975 6794