Never known for holding back, Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema has lashed out at trade union Cosatu. This after a weekend report whereby Cosatu President Sdumo Dlamini said he’d met the Gupta family, who had assured him they weren’t leaving South Africa but had merely attended a family wedding. Malema jumped on this, and has questioned there purpose as merely a union for management. Adding that Cosatu’s lack of intervention is similar to that of the ANC. “The Guptas are not creating jobs, just treating workers like dogs.” – Stuart Lowman
By Karabo Ngoepe
Pretoria – EFF leader Julius Malema has lashed out against South Africa’s trade unions, calling them âunions for managementâ.
He says those that are left are in bed with management. He made an example with the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) fighting to bring back the Guptas instead of standing for the rights of workers.

âThere is no longer a workers union. Itâs a union for management. They are co-opting with management and no one is representing the workers,â Malema said on Sunday.
âWe are saying the Guptas must go because they are stealing money from South Africa and Cosatu goes and fetches them. The same Cosatu thatâs supposed to be on the workers side, it says come back and steal some more.â
Malema was addressing a resident of Ebony Park near Midrand. A resident went on stage and asked Malema and his party to start a workers union that would fight for their rights.
In his response, Malema lashed out at Cosatu saying it failed to stand with workers of Gupta-owned companies. He added that those who worked for those companies did so due to a lack of jobs in the country.
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âTreating workers like dogsâ
He said Cosatuâs lack of intervention was similar to that of government and the ANC.
âThe Guptas are not creating jobs. They are treating workers like dogs. That is why [Collen] Maine was kicked out when he tried to speak to the workers. They told Maine that he never came when they complained about ill treatment and working conditions,â said Malema.
âOur people who work for the Guptas do so because there is no work, otherwise they wouldnât work there. How do you work for a company that has no respect for South African laws, workersâ rights and there is no union?â
Malema questioned how Cosatu could intervene by going to speak to the Guptas and asking them to come back. Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini confirmed that union leadership met the Gupta family last week, saying the family had assured them they were not leaving South Africa but had merely attended a family wedding.
Read also:Â Oakbay CEO â Guptas havenât fled SA, no sign of divestment
Dlamini was speaking at Cosatu’s Chris Hani memorial lecture in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday night where union members mainly from the midlands region were in attendance.
âOur mission behind meeting the Guptas last week was about the jobs that were at stake if they [the Guptas] decided to leave the country,â said Dlamini at the time.
âUnions belong to ANCâ
Malema said all labour unions were in the pocket of management and also existed to protect the ANC.
âCosatu never went to fight for workers but today itâs fighting for Guptas and not workers. All unions have been co-opted. They are part of management. Our people no longer have unions.
âThe unions now belong to the ANC which is why when you speak out, youâre accused of trying to destabilize the party,â said Malema. –Â News24
Source:Â http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/unions-have-been-co-opted-malema-20160424