S.Africa: Cosatu boss blasts Julius

Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi is prepared to lay down his life to prevent the country from degenerating into what he describes as a predator state where a few of the powerful loot the coffers with impunity.

Without referring to the ANC Youth League president Julius Malema by name, Vavi said the trade federation would expose a “tenderpreneur who, through political connections, wins tenders unfairly and provides shoddy services to communities while more genuine enterpreneurs are sidelined”.

Asked whether he was directing his scathing comment at Malema, he responded: “We don’t want to use names, we use politics. (But) any South African won’t be confused.”

Malema is under fire after revelations that he is an active director of four companies, one (SGL Engineering Projects) of which benefited to the tune of millions of rands through government tenders in Limpopo.

Said Vavi: “We may go down the lane of predator states, countries like Angola, some parts of South America and Nigeria, where society accepts the predator order that when there is a kill (tender or government business), it is the first family who must feed first followed by all in the hierarchical order informed by the laws of the jungle of survival of the fittest.”

He slammed SGL Engineering Projects for delivering “exceedingly bad service and shoddy workmanship” when it built two bridges.

“While individuals who are not public representatives have a right to run a business, we insist that these must be genuine … not a scheme to milk the public purse and leave the poor without critical infrastructure.”

Source: citizen online, 20100305

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