NUMSA STATEMENT ON THE DISCIPLIANRY FINDINGS AGAINST SIYABONGA GAMA
The NATIONAL UNION OF METALWORKERS OF SOUTH AFRICA (Numsa) has noted the verdict in the disciplinary hearing against Transnet Freight Rail Chief Executive Siyabonga Gama. We hope this verdict does not become a political football amongst the elites, often parasitic elements who intend to capture Transnet for reasons that are contrary to the developmental mandate.
As Numsa we will be studying the merits and demerits of the judgment with the intention of soliciting an informed response.
We call on the Ministry of Public Enterprises and Cabinet in particular to review the corporatization of State Owned Entities (SoE's) including Transnet and restructure the relationship which increasingly operated as private entities and sites for accumulation on behalf of capital in general and specifically an emerging BEE capitalist stratum.
Let the tenderpreneurs, the fraudsters, the rent-seekers, those who grow fat from stealing from the people, let them tremble when the leadership of the revolutionary working class speak!
On Transnet Latest developments
We have been extremely concerned about the continued commercialization of Transnet which in our view is nothing else, but privatization of this strategic asset of the state. We have been unabated with rumours that there is an intention to fast track the selling of strategic assets.
We need answers on the following key questions?
1. Is the selling of the deep water Port Coega, such a strategic asset for the economy of the Eastern Cape and indeed for the whole country, key and proper?
2. What is the rationale behind the privatization of the coal line from Witbank to Sishane and Richards's Bay as it is a profitable line?
3. The wild rumour that there is an intention to sell Peer 1 which is in fact a Durban Harbour, a strategic entity to galvanize industrialization of our economy.
4. We are informed that Transnet intends to close Ports in rural provinces. What is the logic behind that move?
5. What is the department of public enterprise conceptualization or definition of the development agenda that must be championed by Transnet? The stance taken by Transnet to privatize the dry-dock with a potential to destroy jobs if procurement condition in selling the dry dock is not anchored on retaining and creation of jobs.
6. What happened to our sharp criticisms we raised with the department of enterprise informed by the failure and delays by Transnet to create conditions for Dobial Engineering to invest in the in Cape Town habour investment that is so critical for fixing of oil rigs and vessels which has go a potential to create jobs.
In the absence of the Department's clarifying the actual agenda of Transnet given the strategic questions we have raised. We find it difficult to accept the recent pronouncement in the media. It has been reported that Transnet has announced that it would make all 7300km of its branch railways lines available as concessions to private investors to operate over a long-term period. As Numsa we reject these pronouncements.
As Numsa we call on Transnet to come clean whether they are serious about driving the government agenda of a developmental state because if this allegations are true NUMSA will be left with no option to view this as undermining government policy of a developmental state and infect if these allegations are true this will be tantamount to looting of state resources by Transnet.
Statement issued by Castro Ntobeko Ngobese, NUMSA national spokesperson, June 8 2010
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