The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) offers its full support to Banyana Banyana players and the legitimate demand for equal pay for equal work.

Banyana Banyana players have every right to expect equal pay for equal work.  These players are workers and bread winners and deserve to not only earn a living wage but to be paid equal to their male counterparts.  Women soccer players have long been treated like second class workers and paid far less than their male soccer players not only in South Africa but across the world.

Banyana Banyana have been a source of great pride for South Africans across the country with their successes on the field time and again.  It is time they received the recognition they have earned.

The South African Football Association (SAFA) needs to show humility and engage with the players and the South African Football Players’ Union (SAFPU) in good faith and pay these workers no less than what their male counterparts earn.

SAFA must abandon its union bashing attack on SAFPU.  Its ill tempered attack on players’ hard won constitutional right to unionise belongs in the medieval era, not 29 years into democracy.

The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture needs to intervene and ensure that the rights of these players are accorded the recognition they deserve as a national treasure.  Perhaps they can they spare some of the R910 million SA Tourism wanted to donate Tottenham Hotspurs and the R22 million the Department thought should be spent on a giant flag pole for these exploited and underpaid football players.

Issued by COSATU

For further information please contact:
Matthew Parks
Acting National Spokesperson & Parliamentary Coordinator
Cell: 082 785 0687
Email: matthew@cosatu.org.za