[COSATU Daily News] COSATU Today, 19 May 2010

COSATU has welcomed the convening of the Green Economy Summit by government, on 18-20 May 2010. It comes at a time when the country is facing serious challenges to ensure energy security to industry and affordable energy to the workers and the poor.

COSATU expects the summit to develop a clear programme to provide clean and sustainable sources of energy, which is made even more urgent by the steep electricity tariff increases.

The outcomes of the recent Copenhagen Climate Change Conference also require developing countries to submit proposals for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), showing their plans to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Accordingly, this summit must be a platform for the country to discuss the types of projects that will reduce South Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The effect of climate change is also impacting negatively on the country’s water security. Even in the absence of the effects of climate change, South Africa is a water-scarce country. This is another reason COSATU wants the summit to succeed and hopes that it will present an opportunity for putting high on the agenda a developmental path that takes into account the imperative of preserving our planet for future generations.

We hope the summit will begin a process to ensure stronger coordination among all departments involved, including Trade and Industry, Water and Environmental Affairs, Energy, Economic Development, Science and Technology, Transport and Cooperative Governance and Traditional affairs, in developing and implementing a sustainable growth strategy to help to mitigate the effects of climate change while creating decent work.

This coordination must be linked to:

· the Industrial Action Plan (IPAP2) and the new growth path strategy,

· the introduction of clean, renewable and affordable energy sources,

· provision of effective, efficient and affordable public transport system, and

· provision of clean water to the majority of our people

As part of efforts to move towards clean and renewable sources of energy, we have welcomed the announcement of the launch of the first wind energy farm in the Eastern Cape. According to reports it will have 25 wind turbines, each of which is expected to supply 1700 households. 25 turbines would thus supply 42 500 households with clean energy - 2.5% of the province’s 1.738m households.

Whilst this may not be quite significant, in the light of the fact that the Eastern Cape and Limpopo are the two provinces with the highest rates of wood and paraffin usage, 40.8% and 54.4% respectively, this should be welcome. We need to see more interventions of this kind and the summit must develop strategies to support such initiatives.

As the country builds the infrastructure to make all the above possible, efforts must be made to avoid as far as possible importing goods which could be manufactured locally.

IPAP2 does not include intermediate goods that support ‘green economy’ in its proposed list of large and strategic goods that must be supported through procurement regulations. So the country would be missing an opportunity, as renewable sources of energy would create many opportunities for local manufacturers and for creating jobs. This means that while initially the goods could be imported, there must be a commitment from foreign suppliers to help ramp up domestic capacity over time.

We hope this will give other investors confidence to invest more in renewable energy and help create more decent work. There is a concern that the country is short of critical skills needed for developing renewable sources of energy, particularly plumbers. There is therefore a need to ensure that JIPSA attends to this issue, including recognising the skills of current workers who are doing plumbing work but do not have qualifications.

An affordable public transport system will also go a long way in reducing carbon emissions and the impact of climate change. The improvement of our public transport system will ensure successful implementation of IPAP2, if the local manufactures are given an opportunity to produce the goods. This will improve the lives of the majority of workers while creating more job opportunities.

In the context of more debates on clean energy, we would like to hear more arguments on the need to invest more in nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is capital intensive, costly and dangerous and the country must be careful as it discusses the energy mix options.

The summit must also discuss an effective communication strategy that will ensure that the majority of electricity consumers change their behaviour and use electricity efficiently as part of efforts to minimise the impact of climate change.

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1.2 DENOSA Professional Institute acquires legal status

Asanda Fongqo, DENOSA Communications Manager, 19 May 2010

The recently re-established DENOSA professional institute (DPI) that aims to transform nursing education in the country has received official approval and recognition as a registered education and training learning institution from the Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA).

DENOSA strongly believes that this ground-breaking achievement will go a long way in uplifting the nursing profession and in improving the delivery of quality health care.

The prevalence of bogus nursing colleges has not only robbed the country of reputable nursing professional standards, their provision of mediocre education and training content has impacted adversely on the development of dignified nursing human resources development paradigm.

With its full registration as an accredited nursing and healthcare learning institution, the DPI is suitably positioned to make the direly needed contribution to education and health in line with government’s top priorities.

DENOSA is already underway with preparations to provide training in the DPI’s repertoire of learning programmes.

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1.3 POPCRU salutes SATAWU on its historic 10^th Anniversary

Norman Mampane, POPCRU National Spokesperson, 19 May 2010

POPCRU has joined the millions of the workers in this country to celebrate the 10^th Anniversary of the establishment of the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (SATAWU).

This celebration coincides with the current National Strike that has confirmed that the working class has indeed nothing to lose than the chains that binds them.

SATAWU has contributed a lot towards the emancipation of the working class in this country and produced a lot of organic intellectuals that have made the Trade Union Movement. They include Randall Howard and countless others, as a respected university amongst our masses. It has led many campaigns around improvement of the working conditions of workers in the transport, cleaning and security sector. SATAWU has also fought vigorously against labour brokers and social transformation in this country.

A milestone we can all be proud of was when SATAWU mobilized its membership to refuse to offload a shipment of goods from China that was destined for Zimbabwe in 2009 and including boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel goods. Headlines by that time read “The momentum against apartheid Israel has become an irresistible force. We are proud to stand with the millions around the world who say ‘enough is enough”. The brave and revolutionary role SATAWU played during the campaigns of non-handling of goods against capitalist greed and monopoly capital by countries that have continued to undermine world order and labour were shaken-and Labour remains an important commodity that cannot be undermined anymore.

As POPCRU we applaud the steadfastness, resoluteness and sacrifices SATAWU continues to display for the working class of this country and International as an Affiliate of United Network International (UNI). May we continue to enhance, consolidate, nurture and galvanize more vibrant and democratic Trade Unionism and Worker Struggle for the future generations.

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1.4 Happy birthday NUMSA and SATAWU

Patrick Craven, COSATU National Spokesperson, 18 May 2010

COSATU has sent its birthday greetings to two of its finest affiliated unions.

On 17 May, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa celebrated 23 unbroken years of workers’ struggle. NUMSA has always been at the forefront of COSATU’s battles and have a fantastic record of militancy and determination to win. As they say themselves in their anniversary statement:

“For 23 years we have the workers’ flag flying high in our country. Shoulder to shoulder with exploited factory-floor workers, with casualised seamstresses and petrol attendants, with the millions of unemployed youth, with the landless, the black-listed and red-lined, with the students who have been financially excluded, with communities battling against poor service delivery, with the HIV positive, with economic refugees from failed states in our region, with all democratic and peace-loving South African workers – we pledge to honour our 23 years legacy.”

Today, 18 May, the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union commemorates its tenth anniversary. Their members – workers on the trains, buses and trucks, in the docks and the airports, the security guards and office cleaners – have a record second to none of struggling for a better life for their fellow workers, their families and the working class as a whole.

As they celebrate their birthday they are once again in the trenches of the class war, fighting a bitter battle to raise their members’ living standards, against a ruthless employer – Transnet - who is using every trick in the book to try to bully the strikers back to work. But true to their traditions, SATAWU members are spurred on to fight even harder. COSATU reaffirms its full support for their heroic struggle.

Happy birthday, NUMSA and SATAWU!

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1.5 POPCRU mourns the passing on of Gauteng Shop Steward

Norman Mampane, POPCRU National Spokesperson, 18 May 2010

POPCRU has noted the passing on of, Gamina Tshabalala (Born 19 November 1954), who was from Gauteng Province and employed within the South African Police Services. He passed away on the 16^th of May 2010.

She was The Secretary of SAPS Provincial Office as our site and institution of organizing, mobilizing and galvanizing the working class to consolidate working class power within our sector, and contributed immensely during her revolutionary collegiality and service to POPCRU by recruiting many members into this giant within the Justice Cluster. She passed on due to illness.

A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, 20th May 2010, SAPS Provincial Offices at 11H00 and the Funeral will be on Saturday, 22nd at Limpopo, Polokwane.

She will be missed by all our membership and may her soul rest in peace.

For more information contact

Gauteng Provincial Administrative Secretary- Karien Japhta 0118437758

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2. South Africa

2.1 COSATU Mpumalanga holds bilateral with Alliance Partners

Fidel Mlombo, Mpumalanga Provincial Secretary, 19 May 2010

Since January 2010, COSATU In Mpumalanga has held a series of bilateral meetings with Alliance partners and the broader Mass Democratic Movement structures in the Province.

Mpumalanga has experienced both political and socio-economic challenges which demands a coordinated inclusive response from the

progressive structures in the Province.

The purpose of the bilateral meetings held since January 2010 were to deal with the challenges facing the Alliance in the Province which also threatens to derail the direction of the National Democratic Revolution. COSATU is concerned that the emergence of a NEW TENDENCY within the MOVEMENT is threatening to erode the fabric of our society. COSATU believes that the violent protest actions taking

place in our Province and the education crisis are a symptom of deep seated principal challenges facing the National Democratic Revolution which

amongst others are

* Corruption

* excessive illegal accumulation

* Crass materialism

* Targeting of those who differ with the TENDENCY for character assassination

* Abuse of state resources and the media for factional battles.

Today, COSATU is holding bilaterals with SASCO and COSAS.

3. International

3.1 SSN to picket in Solidarity with the People of Swaziland

Lucky Lukhele, SSN Spokesperson, 18 May 2010

The unfortunate incident which occurred over the weekend, at the late Sipho Jele's funeral, when the Royal Swaziland Police Force decided to decimate everything that bore a likeness to the PUDEMO colours and logos is extremely difficult to understand from a strictly human point of view.

Unfortunately, even animals are not known to exhibit such behavior. Animals in the jungle have been observed to exhibit a semblance of respect for their dead peers save for those that they regard as food.

In seeking to understand police behavior in the wee hours of last Sunday Morning, one has to consider the circumstances under which they were operating. All mourners who had attended the funeral did so purely out of devotion to their lost comrades. Whatever the weather conditions in that far out area of Ncabaneni, their hearts and minds were able to keep them warm enough to brave the chilly weather. Added to that, the very kind and reasonable Jele family was available to ensure that their needs were taken care of. On the other hand, the police, uninvited and in attendance only because their superiors had commanded them to leave their warm work stations in order to attend the funeral of a man whose death their conscience is still trying very hard to deal with, were obviously not coping with the circumstances. It is also very possible that they had to intoxicate themselves with the dagga that they steal when they raid dagga fields in the Northern parts of the country. As to why police, as thinking humans, allow themselves to be abused in this manner is something which boggles the mind.

SSN will join other organisations on a picket on the 21^st May, 2010 more details below

Venue: Swazi consulate, Forum V, 33 Hoofd Street, Braamfontein Johannesburg. Behind the Johannesburg Civic Theatre

Date: 21^st May, 2010

Time: 12h00 (lunch time Picket)

Meanwhile, The Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN] will protest for a 9 days long as a form of PICKET protest against Amos Mbedze and the killing of our comrade Sipho Jele details below.

Date: 31^st May -09^th June 2010

Time: 13H00 -14H00

Venue: Swazi consulate, Forum V, 33 Hoofd Street, Braamfontein Johannesburg. Behind the Johannesburg Civic Theatre

Who is Amos Mbedzi

Amos Mbedzi is a South African born revolutionary who was trained by the ANC both politically and militarily and was an active member of Mkhonto we Sizwe, he is a cultural activist and a writer of plays. He is currently incarcerated by the Swazi regime for allegedly being at the nearby scene of a bomb explosion next to Lozitha palace that killed two activists Musa Dlamini and Jack Govender also a South African since September 2008. The Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN] has been fighting for his unconditional release and for democracy in Swaziland. His trial is to start on the 31^st May, 2010 it is expected it will last for 9 days in the High Court of Swaziland in Mbabane.

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3.2 Africa Contact on the situation in Swaziland

Morten Nielsen, Africa Contact, 18 May 2010

Africa Contact (Denmark) has been actively involved in the struggle for democracy and human rights in Swaziland for over ten years by supporting the democratic movement through organisations such as Foundation for Socio-Economic Justice and Swaziland United Democratic Front. Swaziland, an absolute monarchy, is one of the most unequal and Aids-ridden societies in the world, but the ruling minority continue to squander the resources that Swaziland do have on luxuries that the majority of the Swazi population can only dream of.

The brutality of the Swazi regime, led by the autocratic King Mswati, has always been evident, as documented by numerous reports from Amnesty International. This brutality has recently escalated, however, to include a desperate hunt for anything or anyone carrying the name of Pudemo or Swayoco, Swaziland’s leading democratic party and its youth league. The latest example of this brutality is the death in detention of Pudemo activist Sipho Jele. Sipho Jele was in good health when arrested and detained on 1 May for wearing a Pudemo t-shirt but was found dead in his cell the next day. The police claimed that he had committed suicide but Jele’s aunt, a former nurse who saw the body the next day, insists that his face was bruised and battered and that any claims of suicide are manifestly and evidently untrue. Jele’s torture and death at the hands of Swaziland’s police forces is unfortunately by no means the first time such torture and deaths in detention in Swazi prisons have occurred, and we are worried that the student leader, Pius Vilakati, who was at Jele’s funeral but has not been seen since, could be the next victim of the Swazi regime if the international society does not act quickly by putting pressure on the Swazi regime.

The torture and deaths in detention of pro-democracy activists are chillingly reminiscent of similar occurrences during in apartheid South Africa, where deaths in detention were also routinely claimed to have been self-inflicted, and the response from the international community of governments, civil society movements and NGOs should therefore be equally vigorous in demanding observance of the rule of law and democratisation in Swaziland.

The witch-hunt of members of the democracy movement is not necessarily an act of strength, however much it must seem so for those who bear the brunt of the brutality of the Swazi regime, but an example of the desperation of the regime. We should therefore be encouraged by this as an indication that the Swazi regime is feeling the pressure that the democratic movement is putting on it. We should also be encouraged by the fact that the South African Trade Union federation, COSATU, and many other unions and organisations are calling for international solidarity with the democracy movement in Swaziland together with Africa Contact, as well as for a campaign of global mobilisation and isolation of the Swazi regime.

Although the can of worms that is the Swazi autocratic regime will only open from within, all organisations, governments and individuals who claim to uphold the ideals of democracy, human rights and the rule of law throughout the world must speak up and act to put pressure on the Swazi regime. As the example of South Africa’s liberation shows, it is only through both internal and external pressure that autocratic regimes can be toppled.

Because of the urgency of the situation in Swaziland, Africa Contact has sent letters to the South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation and Delegation of the European Union to the Kingdom of Swaziland in Mbabane, Swaziland and Lesotho, respectively, urging them to put pressure on the Swazi regime to desist from further human rights violations and start a process of democratization.

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3.3 Keeping Hope Alive whilst Dreams fade

Father Michael Lapsley, Western Cape ChairpersonFriends of Cuba

“I am now 44 and my wife is turning 40”. The biological clock is ticking for Adriana and her husband Gerardo Hernandez. Like married couples everywhere they dream of having their own children. Today that dream begins to fade whilst hope and an indomitable will remains.

On May 15 2009, I made my fifth visit to Gerardo, one of the Cuban 5 (www.thecuban5.org) who is now into the 12^th year of imprisonment with a double life sentence for helping prevent terrorism against his motherland. He is kept at Victorville, a maximum security prison, in the desert, two hours from Los Angeles. Throughout these hard long years, Adriana has been refused a visa. (Ironically in a Cuban prison there is provision for regular conjugal visits.) Not seeing the love of his life and being unable to start a family is clearly the most painful dimension of Gerardo's unjust incarceration.

The Cuban 5, Gerardo and Ramón Labañino Salazar, Rene González Sehwerert, Antonio Guerrero Rodríguez and Fernando González Llort, have now all but exhausted the judicial options. Disappointingly and to the surprise of a lawyer with extensive experience in supreme court cases, the Supreme court declined to hear the case after the Obama administration had opposed their Supreme court application.

Whilst still seeking to exhaust any loopholes the law may provide, the real hope lies with us – the peoples of the world – with international solidarity. We South Africans who have known more than most, the solidarity of the world, have a calling to be in the forefront of demanding their freedom even as we insist on the right for his wife to visit him. Similarly the wife of Rene Gonzalez, has been denied a visa to visit her husband.

Most people I meet in the USA have never heard of the Cuban 5 – despite the untiring efforts of activists there. Of course there was a full page ad some time back in the New York Times and an article in the Washington Post, but neither of these prestigious papers is the reading of choice for most citizens. When you tell people the story there is a look of disbelief followed by disgust and anger that their country could be party to such inhumanity and injustice.

Most of those in Victorville Maximum security are there because of the terrible crimes they have committed whereas Gerardo or “Cuba” as his fellow prisoners call him languishes because of love for his people and willingness to sacrifice so that his people could live their lives without fear of terrorist attack. Just like Nelson Mandela every letter he writes is checked before it is sent as is also the flood of incoming mail

from all over the world which is held back sometimes even for months as a form of harassment. Even some of the prison guards whisper in his ear “You should not be here!” By the age of 17, signing himself under the name of his mother's maiden name of Nordelo, began to publish political cartoons which often made a commentary on what was happening in Cuban life. I am sure he would provide stiff competition for Zapiro.

Gerardo studied to be a diplomat and before completing his studies, along with all the students in his school, volunteered to join the Cuban internationalist forces in Angola. Three of Cuba's senior diplomats in South Africa –Ambassador Angel Villa, his wife Vilma and Eddie Machado studied together with Gerardo.

In the course of clearing gutters in the prison a bird's nest was dislodged and fell to the ground killing two sparrows and leaving one injured. When the injured bird would not eat, “Cuba” was called and by himself imitating bird sounds, was able to feed the bird and coax it back to life. When a particular guard discovered that Gerardo was caring for a bird he was ordered to get it to fly away. Shortly thereafter despite the hundreds of identical cells the bird found its way back hitting its beak on Gerardo's cell door. The guard could not believe what was happening until he saw with his own eyes the bird return once Gerardo made a sound calling it back. When the guards finally asked Gerardo to release the bird out of the section of the prison, there was a commotion because the other prisoners thought Gerardo was being sent to the “hole” (the place of solitary confinement) and had to be reassured otherwise – such is the regard and respect other prisoners have for “Cuba”. It was only when the whole prison was locked down for more than a month and there was no access that the bird disappeared

Gerardo treasures an article he read in which during the visit to South Africa last year of Che Gevara's daughter Aleida, President Jacob Zuma called for Freedom for the Five.

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3.4 Emergency protest against victimisation and imprisonment of gay men in Malawi

Mark Heywood, SECTION27 Executive Director, 19 May 2010

SECTION27 has condemned in the strongest terms the conviction by a court in Blantyre today of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga for committing so-called “unnatural acts”.

Steven and Tiwonge were arrested in December 2009 after celebrating their engagement and have been in jail ever since. The continued incitement, in multiple African countries especially Zimbabwe, Malawi and Uganda, against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people is a gross violation of human rights. In allowing this abuse to continue, the door has been opened to reversing and retard progress on all human rights, including the right to dignity and full social, legal and political equality for women and freedom of expression and the media amongst others.

To protest this crime SECTION27 is calling for an emergency picket outside the Malawian High Commission (770 Government Avenue, Arcadia, Pretoria) at 11 am tomorrow (Wednesday 18^th May) to draw the world’s attention to this outrage. We call on our government to denounce this and to raise the issue in the Southern African Development Community.

We believe that the Malawian government needs to protect its citizen’s rights. We know it is short notice, but we ask concerned people to join us on this protest. The two men are due to be sentenced on Thursday. Now that they have been convicted they could face up to 14 years in jail.

We hope that the Malawian Ambassador and his government will hear our voices and know that much louder protests will be heard across the world in days to come.

4. Letters

4.1 Transnet needs new CEO soon

Wiseman, Ermelo, 19 May 2010

I'm a SATAWU shopsteward at Ermelo where the depot is dominated by the SARWHU & UTATU , we see more of our members go to work while we on strike.

I think now is the time for the group somebody that is permanent on the position to prevent this from happening again. The relationship between us and the management is not good. We know that the current group CEO is aware that he is not going to be appointed because of his race and he does not care about us.

The government must fast track the process of appointing a new CEO.

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[COSATU Daily News] COSATU Today, 19 May 2010

Mluleki Mntungwa

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Contents

Patrick Craven, COSATU National Spokesperson, 18 May 2010

Asanda Fongqo, DENOSA Communications Manager, 19 May 2010

Norman Mampane, POPCRU National Spokesperson, 19 May 2010

Patrick Craven, COSATU National Spokesperson, 18 May 2010

Norman Mampane, POPCRU National Spokesperson, 18 May 2010

2. South Africa

Fidel Mlombo, Mpumalanga Provincial Secretary, 19 May 2010

3. International

Lucky Lukhele, SSN Spokesperson, 18 May 2010

Morten Nielsen, Africa Contact, 18 May 2010

Father Michael Lapsley, Western Cape ChairpersonFriends of Cuba

Mark Heywood, SECTION27 Executive Director, 19 May 2010

Wiseman, Ermelo, 19 May 2010