COSATU+on+ANC,+police+violence,+and+Sasol+explosion



=COSATU statement=

1. The Congress of South African Trade Unions welcomes the statement issued by the African National Congress, which denies that the ANC is to summon Jacob Zuma to answer certain questions. We trust that this matter is now closed - except for those who are hell-bent on assassinating his character.

2. The Congress of South African Trade Unions condemns the shooting of a bystander by police when they opened fire on striking security guards in Johannesburg on 5 June 2006. We wish him, and any others who may have been injured, a full and speedy recovery.

We demand a full investigation into the incident and disciplinary action taken against whoever is found to have been responsible for opening fire. We fully agree with SATAWU that the police should not be using pump guns in the course of demonstrations, but should work with the union’s marshals to control marches without recourse to violence. COSATU will back SATAWU’s case against the police.

3. The Congress of South African Trade Unions is shocked at the news of yet another serious accident at a Sasol plant, this time an explosion at the Venko Park paraffin plant in Sasolburg. We send our best wishes to all those injured.

COSATU calls for a thorough inquiry into this latest blast to determine the cause of the blast and whether there was any negligence. In particular we want to know if any of the work at the plant had been outsourced and whether this played any part in the accident, as it did in the Secunda blast in 2004.

It is just a few days since Sasol announced the launch of a compensation fund for the victims of that accident. While this move is welcome, we would much prefer an accident-free safety environment at Sasol in which workers can work without fear of death or injury.


 * Patrick Craven (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**
 * E-Mail: patrick@cosatu.org.za**

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