COSATU condemns the infantile racist antics of the EFF in Parliament
4 September 2018
COSATU condemns the immature and racist attacks by the EFF directed at our Parliamentary Coordinator Cde Matthew Parks during today’s expropriation without compensation public hearings in parliament.
Some inconsequential EFF MP and her leader Floyd Shivambu accused our Parliamentary Coordinator Mathew Parks of siding with White Monopoly Capital and serving white interests because he is also white. These moral cretins and political idiots said this after Cde Mathew Parks communicated COSATU’s position of supporting the Expropriation of land without Compensation but opposing the changing of Section 25 of the Constitution.
This federation is not shocked by these outrageous attacks directed at Cde Mathew Parks by these organised noisemakers and professional race hustlers. They are nothing but angry, self-pitying delusionists with the moral compass of an opportunistic infection. These creatures of bombastic nonsense thrive on any applause or social media likes that they can get through flippant name calling.
COSATU is a non racial organisation that has a proud history of fighting apartheid and rejecting racism in all its forms. We believe that all workers, regardless of race, should organise and unite and we are proud of the immense contribution that many White, Coloured and Indian compatriots have made in not only fighting apartheid but in building this country. We will fight race hustlers like the EEF and their race baiting tendencies, the same way we fight arrogant and entitled white supremacists.
Non-racialism is the life blood of the democratic South Africa and thousands of our heroes and heroines were imprisoned, tortured and died for this principle.
The EFF is welcome to engage with COSATU’s submissions on the Expropriation of Land without Compensation and our cynicism over the calls for the amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution without engaging in political striptease.
COSATU does not believe that it is ideal to amend the Constitution because we believe that Section 25 empowers the state sufficiently to advance land reform and restitution and redistribution.
The federation has made it clear that in our quest to expropriate land from white people, we need not be shortsighted and throw the baby with the bathwater. Section 25 of the Constitution is important because it protects the poor from a possible abuse by a future government. If this clause is removed without any thoughtful process, there is a real possibility that a future government can use the same clause against the workers and the poor. We would not want to see Section 25 deleted as it also compels the state to drive transformation of property ownership, land reform etc.
Spouting abstract radical left positions, obsolete bravado and behaving like political Neanderthals is not enough to bring about the necessary changes to transform our economy. Economies are made up of people and the price for getting economic relations wrong is calamity. The fact that politics is vibrant does not mean its any good
COSATU also finds it regrettable that the ANC MPs chose to keep silent during the EFF’s temper tantrums but this is a matter that the federation will take up with the Chief Whip and Speaker. It is to the ANC MPs’ shame that it was left to opposition MPs from the Freedom Front Plus and the ACDP to defend the principles of a non-racial parliament open to all South Africans.
Issued by Sizwe Pamla, National Spokesperson, COSATU, 4 September 2018
