STATEMENT OF THE ANCWL ON THE ONSLAUGHT ON SA WOMEN AND CHILDREN BY SOME FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

15 April 2016

The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) has noted that most of the South African financial institutions are foreign owned and are biased towards their imperialists’ masters than serving the people of South Africa.The ANCWL has noted decisions taken by a number of financial institutions regarding Oakbay Investments (PTY) Ltd.

The ANCWL aims to clarify its position as not being the spokesperson of Oakbay Investments (PTY) Ltd or any of its subsidiaries. As the ANCWL we raise these pertinent issues based on our interests on the livelihood of dependents of the workers of the company who are in the main unemployed women and children whose husbands/fathers/guardians income security is threatened by these colluding tactics. 

We believe that the victims of the collusion strategy taken by these financial institutions are in majority the unemployed SA women and children who are the dependents of the employees of Oakbay Investments (PTY) Ltd. Therefore the ANCWL will not be on the sidelines to watch the financial monopolies waging cold-war against SA women and children.

Whilst we have forgiven FNB in 2013, we have not yet forgotten that they orchestrated an attack on the ANC and Government as well as acting in a "treasonous" manner by posting online videos that fed into the opposition narrative that seeks to project the ANC and its Government in a negative manner. Instead of calling for people and Government to close their accounts with FNB, the ANC took a decision to accept the apology from the bank. 

Now the same bank which has Johan Rupert as its shareholder through “Remgro” is part of the strategic indirect onslaught on the workers who have dependents to provide for. The banks continue to follow their imperialist masters in colluding and dislodging other companies. They continue to disregard the casualties of their actions as they can't identify with the struggles of the workers. 

In a country like ours with high unemployment rate which severely affects women and children, the main objective of this cold-war initiated by financial institutions is to increase the levels of poverty and unemployment in SA which is characterized by race and gender factors. 

The consequences of this cold war controlled by the masters in foreign countries will be job losses and in the main the African women and children will be the mostly affected. 

As ANCWL we therefore:

- Call all our members who are working in these financial institutions to work through their labour unions to engage COSATU and propose a total shut down of these institutions whose aim is to attack the working class using their imperialism muscles. These attacks affect South African women and children who are in the main beneficiaries of the working class destitute;

- We will work through the ANC and support any action towards these institutions to be taken by ANC or any of its Alliance partners;

- We will submit to the ANC that the time is now to provide the Post Bank a full license to operate and move all the Government & SOE’s bank accounts to Post Bank; and

- We will support a push by the ANC or any of its Alliance partner for a new financial sector architecture that will result in having financial institutions that will serve the interests of the people of SA, specifically women.

It is only through the united ANC that we can fight any form of onslaught towards us and our children!!

We call all women of SA who are eligible to vote, to vote for the ANC in the coming 2016 local elections!!

Statement issued by ANCWL Secretary, Meokgo Matuba, 15 April 2016