COSATU to take Mayor de Lille to the equality court for disregarding SA factory jobs in favour of spending on tourism jobs

28TH November 2011

COSATU will be taking the Mayor of Cape Town Ms Patricia De Lille to the Equality court for her refusal to promote a campaign to protest and promote SA made jobs. The Mayor has spent millions of Rands to champion the Design Capital Project as well as the Table Mountain project, under the disguise of Promoting jobs in the tourism sector. We supported this as COSATU even though this is a sector that promotes the financial interest of Wealthy Tourism establishments and typical DA supporters.

Yet when the City is called upon to promote the Proudly SA campaign to promote SA manufacturing jobs, they are not prepared to run the campaign or provide some funding so Capetonians are encouraged to buy South Africa made jobs. When shoppers buy a SA made product, they ensure that the factories where Cape Flats Aunties work create more jobs, this is the quickest way to defend and expand jobs. COSATU is demanding that the City spend at least the same amount of money on the Cape Flats as they have on the Camps Bay tourism owners.

COSATU is filing papers with the Equality Court to compel the Mayor to defend the jobs of factory workers also , not only the business of Tourism owners and as well as treating all sectors of the economy equally.

We attach the correspondence between the City and COSATU that shows the attitude of the Mayor. COSATU will fight for the poor even if the Mayor only wants to spend money on the rich. The Equality court application is also attached.

Letter from Tony Ehrenreich to Mayor Patricia de Lille, November 18 2011:

LEADER OF THE OFFICIAL OPPOSITION -CITY OF CAPE TOWN
18th November 2011
To: The Mayor's office
Attention: Ms Patricia De Lille

Re: Open letter to Mayor on Buy SA campaign

Dear Madam Mayor

Please receive correspondence from our offices in relation to the need to create SA and City of Cape Town jobs through Local Procurement.

This City has done great work in promoting the Design Capital as well as the 7 wonders [Table Mountain] completion, of which you were that champion. This has cost the city millions of rands, but if the jobs follow then its money well spent. This promotion advances the interest of the tourism industry and the jobs that are created in the service industry. It's important to however realise that these are prospective new jobs, and in a competitive global economy even the World Cup had not brought us the increased number of tourist, but it is the biggest sector of the City economy and we should keep trying.

I direct this correspondence to you to urge you to ensure that the City also promotes the need for everyone to buy South African made products. This is going to be in line with the new regulations passed by National Government as well as the Proudly South African campaign. This would also directly focus on a sector that has many challenges, from a hostile global environment.

The promotion of Proudly SA is focussed on defending existing jobs and promoting the Industrial capacity of the SA economy. The City officials have not always been able to appreciate the importance of this sector. It may be because the bosses of the tourism sector are mainly in the wealthier areas of the City, or that Manufacturing is jobs where poorer workers from the Cape Flats work. The people who make our clothes or make car parts are important parts of the economy and are often the only sources of income into those households and communities.

Like we are urged to vote for Cape Town to create jobs so also should we be urged to buy local SA made products to create jobs? Vote with you purchasing choices to make the City of Cape Town a home for all, where everyone works. We should spend the same amount of money and energy on these jobs as we have on the tourism sector, if this is to be a home for all. To do otherwise because it is seen to be an ANC South Africa, and it does not promote Cape Town expressly, would be cynical in the extreme.

We trust you will champion the cause of this sector also, and make this festive season one where people are urged to buy South African.

Yours faithfully

 pp. E. B. Geswindt

Tony Ehrenreich

Leader of the official opposition

Statement issued by Tony Ehrenreich, COSATU Western Cape provincial secretary, November 28 2011

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