LIMUSA CONDEMNS RETRENCHMENT PLANS BY DENEL LAND SYSTEMS

[Mawonga Madolo]

                                                                                                                  12 November 2020

LIMUSA CONDEMNS RETRENCHMENT PLANS BY DENEL LAND SYSTEMS

   

Liberated Metalworkers Union of South Africa (LIMUSA) is strongly condemning any plans to retrench workers in Denel Land Systems. It is unfortunate that unions in Denel Land Systems have been served with the section 189 notice with a clear intention to retrench approximately 179 employees of the 438 workforce, which is almost 40% of the workforce within Denel Land Systems.

This onslaught on workers takes place in the mist of Zondo Commission revelation about acts of maladministration and corruption that resulted to millions of Rands unduly detached from the institution. LIMUSA would like to reiterate that it cannot be correct that there Denel Land Systems Executives that are implicated on the Zondo Commission DPE DG Kgathatso Tlhakudi’s Witness Statement Affidavit dated 18 March 2019 of day 68, whom are still making and/ or are part of critical decision making within Denel Land Systems that includes the retrenchment process. It is now expected by Denel Land Systems that workers should pay with their jobs for such maladministration and corruption while redeeming themselves.   

Those who made wrong historical decisions that led Denel to be in such a dire state (Financially and reputationally) whether directly or indirectly, and those who were party to or were aware of such historically wrong decisions without reporting it must take accountability, Denel Board must immediately conduct a consequential management process since Denel Land Systems has failed to do so.

 

 

Mr. Talib Sadik (Interim Denel Group CEO) was part of the Denel Board that approved the current Denel Strategy with the current Denel Corporate Office structure where Denel Divisions, Business Development and Strategy report directly to the Denel Group COO. LIMUSA is not is support of the unilateral decision taken by Mr Sadik without consulting organised labour and/ or affected Denel personnel to decentralise autonomy of Denel Corporate Office financial control because maladministration and mismanagement of finances within Denel Divisions was one of the causes for centralisation the control of Denel finances of which to-date there is no visible improvements to organised labour.

Central to the Denel challenges, is the ongoing hostility measures by our Government which has seen reduction of budget for Department of Defence and further to that a failure to capitalize Denel. We in strongest terms condemn this neoliberal approach by our Government in the light of high unemployment in the country.    

We again calling on our Government to intervene by ensuring capitalisation of Denel and increase in budget allocation for department of Defence. Our view this that investment in our defence in an investment in a sovereignty of our country.         

We also calling on law enforcement agencies to act on the ongoing revelations on the Zondo Commission with intention to recover the millions of Rands and ultimately arrest the perpetrators.      

 

End

 

Issued by LIMUSA Secretariat

For further details contact:-

Siboniso Mdletshe

Cell     : 081 348 0439/072 386 4932

                Or

 

Mpho Hlongwane (Gauteng Provincial Secretary)  

Cell: 081 232 5737 /072 891 8913