- The giant South African transport trade union played a pivotal role in ensuring that the An Yue Jiang was not allowed to off-load its lethal cargo on any southern Africa port by mobilising its own members and African and international labour movement solidarity under the auspices of the International Transport Federation (ITF) and the International Trade Unions Confederation (ITUC). “Satawu can confirm that the An Yue Jiang is still on African shores attempting to off load the controversial lethal weapons destined for Zimbabwe. The latest reports from the ITF, our global trade union federation confirm that she docked in the Port of Labito in Angola and off-loaded building materials o…

- By Frank Nxumalo South Africa’s giant transport industry union, the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) representing nearly 300 000 transport workers has demanded that the South African government send back a Chinese vessels carrying weapons for the Zimbabwe government which has docked at the southern port of Durban. “This vessel must return to China with the arms on board as South Africa cannot be seen to be facilitating the flow of weapons into Zimbabwe at a time where there is a political dispute and a volatile situation between the ZANU-PF and the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change)”, says Randall Howard, the general secretary of Satawu. …

- CEF is owned by the South African government and housed in its department of minerals and energy affairs while Karebo Systems is a privately owned South African company specialising in demand management side of the lighting and energy sectors.Ian Murdoch, the chief executive officer of Philips South Africa said the new venture, in which his company holds a 40% stake and CEF and Karebo hold 30% each will manufacture 15 million CFLi lamps when it comes on stream in September this year.The factory is expected to create between 400 and 500 jobs in Lesotho and about two to three times work load activities in South Africa, which will be the primary export market.Murdoch said the new plant will a…

- South Africa’s predominantly black managers body, the Black Management Forum (BMF) has called on the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), the country’s statutory human rights watchdog to inaugurate a national toll free telephone line to enable people throughout the country report incidences of racism. “This will ensure that people are spared from red tape in dealing with the scurge of racism at the workplace,” Jimmy Manyi, the president of the BMF told the closing session of Business and Human Rights Conference in Johannesburg this afternoon. Manyi said 13 years into democracy, the disparities between black and white in South Africa in terms of their hol…

- By Frank Nxumalo Human rights continued to be elusive to millions of South Africans despite the wonderful vision of the country’s Constitution and Bill Rights, says the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) at the ongoing Business and Human Rights Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa this week. “If truth be told, the majority of people that live in our country are not really excited about this Constitution and Bill of Rights. The transition left much of the status quo in place. Land ownership, the judiciary, the economy, not much changed there, it hasn’t meant too much in their lives yet. And it continues to mean very little to them, what motive is there for…