Archive for category: Media Statement

08 February 2023

The Federation of Unions of South African (FEDUSA) looks forward to the delivery of the State of the Nation Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa tomorrow with great anticipation for much needed solutions to the multiple crises the country is currently facing. We go into the 2023 SONA despondent as a nation following increases in interest rates while the cost of living continues to spiral. South Africans are also confronted with frequent power cuts that compromise their quality of life while causing irreversible damage to the economy and the country’s labour market. Despite past promises by President Cyril Ramaphosa that we would see those suspected of having a hand in the collapse of the state through the State Capture project would be behind bars, however this is also far from being realised.

Fedusa hopes that the President will have a clear and implementable plan for the following:
• Eskom
The power utility has been on its knees for years, with recent updates by task teams and committees responsible for resolving the crisis indicating that the electricity generation capacity of the entity will not improve anytime soon. Fedusa wants the President to make pronouncements on the procurement and regulatory challenges holding up Eskom’s ability to fix existing power stations and to bring new capacity online. We also expect an announcement on the suggested declaration of a state of disaster to ease procurement requirements and other regulatory matters that may be hampering the entity’s management from carrying out its duties efficiently.

• Jobs
As a result of the loadshedding crisis, companies in various sectors including motor and hospitality have indicated they will have to cut jobs with unions across the board seized with Section 189 retrenchment processes. Fedusa wants the President to address employers on what measures his administration will implement to reverse this trend. Ramaphosa came into office on the back of many promises, including the creation of millions of jobs. However, this undertaking immediately fails when millions of employed South Africans who would otherwise have job security, out on the streets due to unreliable energy supply. The country is on edge with 43% of the labour force unemployed.

• Local Government
The country’s municipalities have collapsed. Its finances are in shambles and have been for a long time. As a result, not even water provision, that is a basic human right, can be guaranteed. Municipalities have become a feeding ground for corruption, with the Auditor General reminding us yearly that officials are not qualified to carry out their duties as a result undermine the functions of municipalities as prescribed in the constitution. The President must share with the nation a detailed plan of how this problem will be resolved. We have heard many reassurances over the years about measures including the District Development Model that were aimed making municipalities effective again, yet these have failed to improve the situation in municipalities.

• Gender-Based-Violence
Fedusa has noted the government’s continued avoidance to implement the resolutions made in the first and second gender summit. A gender council as agreed to is yet to be established. Shelters meant to help abused women, children and others remain in unliveable condition. On the workplace front, Fedusa wants the President to take charge of the processes meant to implement and domesticate the International Labour Organisation’s Convention 190 and Recommendation 206 that seek to address violence and harassment in the world of work.

• Social Relief of Distress Grant
Fedusa hopes that the President will make an announcement on the extension of the Social Relief of Distress grant which has proven a lifesaver for many South Africans albeit below the poverty line. The R350 must be increased, and the requirements must be expansive enough to be accessible to poor people. Poverty is a crisis in South Africa. Ramaphosa promised to end poverty within a generation, this will not happen if nearly half the labour force cannot access the job market and are only extended the paltry R350 to survive.

• Crime
The writing has been on the wall for some time, however, recently crime appears to be spiralling out of control, with reports indicating that South Africa could soon become a mass murder capital like Colombia. This is a terrifying prospect. We need the President to address the public’s concerns over violent crime and what intervention he and his cabinet will implement to address this. The spate of killings and the high crime levels have a devastating impact on many aspects of the South African society including the economy and personal freedom.
The problems confronting the country are many and those mentioned above are just a few in the pile. We hope that President Cyril Ramaphosa will rise to the occasion and use his SONA address to give angry, demoralised, and anxious South Africans some relief.

-END-

For media enquiries

Betty Moleya

0613961841

 

For interviews please contact:

Ms Riefdah Ajam

FEDUSA General Secretary

079 696 2625

 

Mr Ashley Benjamin

FEDUSA Deputy General Secretary

083 258 4433

20 January 2023

The Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) congratulates the Matric Class of 2022 for achieving a pass rate of 80.1 % in the National Senior Certificate (NSC).

 

FEDUSA again congratulates the Free State province for once again topping the charts, with a 88.5% matric pass rate. The federation commends the class of 2022 for their resilience and making it to the end of their schooling journey against all odds. We acknowledge the challenges faced by learners over the past three years, with major disruptions brought on by the   covid19 pandemic. They had to adapt to online learning and rotational classes.

 

They were also greatly affected by the consistent electricity blackouts “load shedding” and service delivery protests in some areas. Despites the difficulties, all provinces have shown improvements in the 2022 Matric outcomes. FEDUSA also recognizes the fact that the Kwa Zulu-Natal class of 2022 overcame insurmountable difficulties after some schools were flooded and homes washed away in the province over the past year. They have showed resilience, dedication and determination and we congratulate them on coming third on overall best performing province in the examinations with 83% matric pass rate and recording the most notable improvement.

 

We call on the candidates who sat for the 2022 NSC exams and did not perform well to not lose hope. There are opportunities that one can explore to improve their results. There are many chances to go back to school and do well. Most importantly seek help if you are feeling overwhelmed and not coping well emotionally.

 

In conclusion FEDUSA would like to thank the principals, teachers, support staff, parents, and the Department of Education on the work invested to produce the results being celebrated today.

 

For Media enquiries

Betty Moleya

0613961841

 

Mr Ashley Benjamin

FEDUSA Deputy General Secretary

0832584433

08 NOVEMBER 2022

 

The Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) has successfully petitioned the Presidency to grant the country’s workers their rightful amount of rest days this year after the agreement to declare 27 December a paid public holiday.

 

Months ago, the federation requested that President Cyril Ramaphosa should review the December holidays calendar after realising that Christmas Day is on a Sunday, while Day of Goodwill is on a Monday. Had FEDUSA not intervened, this would have seen South African workers losing out on a paid holiday as the 27^th of December would have been an ordinary working day.

 

We took on this fight considering the challenges facing our members in the retail and hospitality sector among others who would not have had the liberty to enjoy the 12 public holidays as determined by the Public Holidays Act of 1994.

The Act stipulates that whenever any public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday following it shall be a public holiday. This means that Christmas Day’s holiday is on Monday the 26th, which is already a holiday, meaning that workers would have been robbed of an extra day on the 27th.

FEDUSA is pleased that President Ramaphosa has heeded the workers’ pleas, further giving us comfort about his commitment to the yet-to-be-realised social compact. As a federation that believes in consultative processes, the decision could not have come at a better time following weeks of discussions with the President’s office over the matter.

 

Originally, the Day of Goodwill was referred to as Boxing Day. However, as the country ushered in a new democracy in 1994, the name of the holiday was changed as the country overcame its colonial past rooted in British traditions. Since then, South Africans have had the opportunity to enjoy the day unwinding with their families following Christmas festivities.

 

Albeit this is not the first time that the country has had to deal with this complexity of the holidays falling on multiple weekend days before, FEDUSA is delighted that Ramaphosa has sighed off the public holiday.

 

We also want to take this opportunity to wish the country’s workers who have worked relentlessly to stave off the possibility of a technical recession happy and responsible holidays.

We applaud FEDUSA members for their sustained calls for the President to declare the 27^th of December a paid public holiday. This has amplified the federation’s belief that we can only secure victories through concerted and intentional effort as a collective.

 

For Media enquiries

Betty Moleya

0613961841

 

For interviews please contact:

Ms Riefdah Ajam

FEDUSA General Secretary

076 696 2625

 

Mr Ashley Benjamin

FEDUSA Deputy General Secretary

083 258 4433

 

15 November 2022

 

The Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) has learnt with satisfaction that a Free State man has been sentenced to life in prison after he kept a 50-year-old woman hostage for eight months and raped her during that time. Media reports say the 40-year-old man was sentenced in the Viljoenskroon Magistrate’s Court.

 

Fedusa has long called for hefty sentences against perpetrators of abuse against women and children and we believe the punishment meted out by the court in this instance is appropriate. The federation is of the view that only when law enforcement is seen to be proactive in protecting society in general from such predators, will we see an improvement in the national gender-based violence crisis.

 

We applaud the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and investigating officers involved in the case. We, however, reiterate the call for the implementation of the National Strategic Plan to Combat Gender-Based Violence. In the coming month, we will hear a lot about the efforts underway to rid society of gender-based violence, however, we believe that the restoration of victims’ and survivors’ trust in the justice system is a pillar of such efforts.

 

The federation believes that the woman whose perpetrator was brought to justice in the Free State has been extended the necessary trauma counselling and other help by authorities as provisioned, for victims of abuse.

 

ENDS

For Media enquiries

Betty Moleya

0613961841

 

For interviews please contact:

Ms Riefdah Ajam

FEDUSA General Secretary

076 696 2625

 

Mr Ashley Benjamin

FEDUSA Deputy General Secretary

083 258 4433

18 October 2022   The Leadership of the Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) has welcomed the settlement of the 8 – day long strike by the Federation’s affiliated union, UNTU, following the deadlock with Transnet over the 2022 wage negotiations. The concluding agreement signified a multi – year wage settlement from 01 April […]