Statement by unions in South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe

Swaziland and Zimbabwe

COSATU/ZCTU/SFL/SFTU statement

15 July 2008

Leaders of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions and the Swaziland Federation of Labour met today, 15 July 2008, to prepare for an important international conference to be held in Johannesburg on 10-11 August 2008, to mobilise solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe and Swaziland in their struggle for democracy and human rights.

Both countries pose a massive challenge to the people of Africa. Recent developments threaten to roll back the spreading trend towards democracy in Africa. That is why this solidarity conference is so important. It is an opportunity for the workers of Africa to lead a campaign of the people of Africa to demand the establishment of democracy and respect for human rights in two countries where these concepts have been trampled upon in the past period.

2008 is a year of elections in both countries, but in neither case does the process resemble any accepted standards of democracy. Zimbabwe has witnessed an election stolen by a regime which was defeated on 29 March. Swaziland remains an absolute monarchy in the premier league of human rights offenders, in which opposition parties are banned and the proposed 'election' is a sham.

The meeting agreed on the need to build the capacity of the trade union movement into a neatly weaved programme of action. Whilst responding to the hostility of the political environment, it must also not neglect the primary responsibility to workers as the core constituency of the trade union movement

The Southern African Trade Union Co-ordinating Council (SATUCC) and individual affiliates in the region need deeper engagement to institutionalise solidarity as a permanent feature of the regional trade union movement, in both Zimbabwe and Swaziland. In creating a network of trade unions throughout the region, organised and acting in solidarity with Zimbabwean and Swazi workers, it will constitute a broad solidarity front of the working class in the region

We need to identify companies, organisations and individuals or even families who might be associated with the ruling regimes, either politically, economically or otherwise as beneficiaries of the current system for further targeted action and isolation, starting with exposing them and their activities.

We need to clarify our approach to the on-going negotiations in Zimbabwe, without forgetting to anticipate the emergence of such a possibility in Swaziland. In doing so, we must develop scenarios and use various models of transitions and government of national unity, as reference points. In this regard we must also clarify further, the role of civil society in political negotiations, to ensure that the majority of our people are not mere spectators in the processes that are unfolding, so that they become only preserves of elites.

On Zimbabwe the meeting expressed a preference for an interim government, where an independent person altogether, either a judge or a reverend, runs the state in the interim, with the different parties selecting ministries of their choice under his/her oversight, with parliament as an existing institution responsible for promulgating laws, until proper elections are held.

The reasoning is that the 29th March election outcome was legitimate, notwithstanding its own limitations, and can form a useful basis for such a possible configuration. This transitional government of national unity must not last for more than two years.

The meeting agreed to oppose Western powers-initiated sanctions other than sanctions targeted at the leadership of the illegal government. We however support actions initiated by workers of the region, continent and the world over, under the leadership of SATUCC, ITUC-AFRO and ITUC as a whole.

In this regard the meeting called on COSATU, SATUCC and the rest of the workers everywhere to refuse to handle goods destined for Zimbabwe and Swaziland for an initial period of one week, which will be extended if no progress is made in the realisation of our demands.

We agreed to work with the rest of civil society to stage a mass protest and rally when the SADC heads of states summit is convened in South African on 15-17 August 2008. The protest march and rally will be held on 16 August near the venue of the summit.

Patrick Craven (National Spokesperson)

Congress of South African Trade Unions

1-5 Leyds Cnr Biccard Streets

Braamfontein, 2017

P.O. Box 1019

Johannesburg, 2000

SOUTH AFRICA

Tel: +27 11 339-4911/24

Fax: +27 11 339-5080/6940/ 086 603 9667

Cell: 0828217456

E-Mail: patrick@cosatu.org.za