Energy & Mining News South Africa

Numsa fears SA "Arab spring" unless nationalisation goes through

According to The Star, National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), general-secretary Irvin Jim warned that failure to implement the Freedom Charter by nationalising all key and strategic sectors of the country's economy, including mines and banks, could trigger an "Arab spring" in SA.

Addressing a rally to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of Numsa, Jim said the union has vowed to pressure the ANC to implement the Freedom Charter.

"Government must nationalise mines and key sectors of our economy," Jim said, adding that the Reserve Bank should also be nationalised, so that instead of targeting inflation, it will target employment creation. "As workers, we want to go to the ANC policy conference and emerge from there with a revolutionary agenda," he said, stating the labour movement would occupy streets in order to force the government to change economic direction.

Workers, Jim said, were paid salaries that could only enable them to buy a shack in a township. "Numsa is very clear that implementation of the Freedom Charter is not socialism but a solid, reasonable step to equalise access to the economy as the only guarantee for peace, stability and security of both black and white people in our country," The Star reports.

Read the full article on www.iol.co.za.

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