Cosatu slams Moeletsi Mbeki

[DigitalSoldier]

http://www.news24.com/Content/South.../29-06-2009 10-06/Cosatu_slams_Moeletsi_Mbeki

Pretoria - The Congress of SA Trade Union on Monday condemned remarks about trade unions and their leadership made by Moeletsi Mbeki in his book, Architects of Poverty.

"Cosatu has had a very long friendship with Moeletsi Mbeki and appreciates his contribution to the struggles of the workers over many years," said spokesperson Patrick Craven.

"The comments in his book, however, are factually incorrect and profoundly insulting towards trade union leaders who have devoted their lives to serving the workers' movement.," Craven said.

Craven said the basis of Moeletsi Mbeki's argument against Cosatu was that its leaders were ignorant and uneducated.

No leadership in Cosatu - Mbeki

Mbeki wrote in his book: "They have no leadership. Cosatu lost their leaders in 1994. The unions are left with leaders who have no education, no knowledge, no expertise. That's why the poor are being ripped off... they don't understand the political economy of South Africa."

Craven said Mbeki goes on to claim that "they think they can ingratiate themselves with the politicians of the ANC, so in the past four years they have been crawling to Jacob Zuma, thinking that they will use him. But Zuma ignored them once he got into power. He ignored them and privatised Vodacom".

Craven said: "The reality is that, despite the fact that the majority of workers were deliberately denied educational opportunities under apartheid, the trade union movement has itself been a great university, in which workers struggled to understand the world and how it can be changed for the better."

He said many union officials and leaders were still studying and qualifying, often in difficult circumstances, at the very highest academic level.

Funny how these leaders are getting such a fine education yet none of them could understand what Zapiro tried to say with the Zuma raping lady justice cartoon

 

[Budza]

Condemned by Cosatu = The highest praise.

 

[marine1]

If Cosatu says it is wrong then it must be right

 

[Gambit317z]

This is going to do wonders for the sale of his book! A must read now !

I'll remember if I ever write any book to throw in a one liner insulting some political leader or the other...