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The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has recently launched a new call center to provide much-needed assistance to workers facing labour-related challenges. This dedicated resource aims to offer support, information, and guidance to both members of COSATU-affiliated unions and unorganized workers, ensuring that they have a place to turn for help with workplace issues.

COSATU Message on the UN Day of International Solidarity with the people of Palestine

Today, the 29 November 2024 marks the day on which the people of the world, gathered under the auspices of the UN and dedicated undivided focus to the more than 75 years of illegal occupation, war of dispossession and genocide carried out against the people of Palestine by the apartheid state of Israel.

COSATU joins millions of freedom-loving people of the world in condemning the brutal occupation, Zionist violence and ethnic cleansing systematically carried out against the people of Palestine.

We welcome the consistent efforts by different organisations, such as trade unions, churches, students and youth movements, political organisations and NGOs, as well as academic and professional institutions to express our common commitment to the cause of defeating racism, wars of imperialism and colonialism in all its forms.

The COSATU Central Executive Committee was unanimous in its support to the cause and in calling on all progressive forces to intensify mass mobilisation in all our communities, workplaces, streets, places of worship, schools, sports centres, etc. COSATU is unwavering in its understanding that the struggle of the Palestinian people is a struggle for all formerly colonised people, Africa in particular. All who suffered and still suffer racism, land dispossession and ethnic discrimination, feel the pain of the Palestinian people far deeper than watching a movie script on television news channels.

COSATU reaffirms its unwavering salute to the South African government led by the ANC for the unprecedented courage and leadership in taking the Israel genocidal regime to the International Criminal Court (ICC). This bold move led to the current warrant of arrest against Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel and his defence minister, who are now officially wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Towards this end, COSATU calls on the South Africa government and all governments of the world to arrest Nentanyahu, if at any point, he lands on their shores. We further call for the prosecution of all those who are part of the Israel Defence Force (IDF) who are also citizens of South Africa, who move in and out of the country to commit acts of genocide and freely come back to live normal lives. The state must prosecute all these war criminals and ensure the supremacy of South Africa’s constitution is asserted firmly.

Since the 7 October 2023 special operation by Hamas, we have witnessed the massive genocide by the state of Israel, disproportionately killing millions of children, women and ordinary people in an unprecedented way. Israel has also expanded the war into the whole of the Middle east, particularly in Lebanon and incursions into other neighbouring states in the region. We condemn this act of aggression as a serious threat to global security and human lives in general

COSATU recognises that the Palestinian struggle is part of a wider struggle against racism, sexism, Zionism, imperialism and oppression in all its forms. This is why our priority is the active mobilisation of Africans as part of the solidarity movement on issues of hunger, landlessness, human rights abuses, multinational plunder of our natural resources, economic inequalities and poverty. These are the struggles that run as our consistent theme in all our solidarity mobilisations.

COSATU calls for the international trade union movement to play a leading role in mobilising and advancing the boycott, divestment and sanctions against the apartheid state of Israel and all its associated institutions and companies who do business with them. In our own country, we have identified products that would be focus for all of us in ensuring they are boycotted and lose business till the racist regime collapses.

We call on all political parties represented in the National Assembly to unite and vote for the isolation of Israel and ensure total cut off ties with the apartheid state of Israel, but further to support the proposed bill for the criminalisation of apartheid in South Africa, building on the UN convention on apartheid as a crime against humanity.

We further call on all African states to unite and lead the global struggle against colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, Zionism and all forms of racist and ethnic genocide and wars. The struggle for peace is at the same time a struggle for justice, racial equality and democracy for all.

Towards this end, we are making a specific call to SADC and the AU to get actively involved in advancing the ideals of global justice, end to apartheid and racism, end to wars of dispossession and conquest and implementation of the outcomes of the UN’s World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) held in Durban, South Africa in 2001.

COSATU expresses full solidarity with the people of Palestine and Lebanon, as well as all struggles for justice, democracy and dignity throughout the world.

To arrange an interview with General Secretary, Solly Phetoe, contact:

Zanele Sabela(COSATU National Spokesperson)

Mobile: 079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639

Email: zan…@cosatu.org.za