'Nowhere Man' Labour Minister must investigate SACP’s alleged exploitation of its workers

6 April 2022

Note to Editors: Please find an attached soundbite by Dr Michael Cardo MP

The DA is dismayed that the self-styled champion of the working class, the South African Communist Party (SACP), has not been paying its workers. The party allegedly owes them six months’ salary. If true, this constitutes a flagrant violation of labour legislation and a shocking violation of workers’ rights.

I have written to the Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi, and asked him to investigate.

According to the SACP’s Tripartite Alliance partner, Cosatu, it is ‘totally unacceptable’ that the leaders of the SACP should sit in parliament, ‘collect exorbitant salaries’, pass labour laws and then ‘proceed to disregard them’. The DA could not agree more.

What makes this injustice even more egregious is that the Minister of Employment and Labour is the deputy chairperson of the SACP.

He never fails to bash and bully businesses suspected of the slightest deviation from our labour laws, but now that his own party is accused of wrongdoing, the Minister has become the Nowhere Man.

I have asked the Minister to get to the bottom of the SACP’s reported exploitation of its workers, and to verify whether his party has been paying over its contributions to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and the Compensation Fund, as required by law.

It is most unfortunate that the SACP seems to be following in the ruling party’s footsteps. Last year it was revealed that the ANC had failed to remunerate its staff, neglected to pay over contributions to the UIF despite deducting them from employee’s salaries, and owed the South African Revenue Service more than R80 million in Pay As You Earn (PAYE) deductions. The DA laid criminal charges in connection with the matter.

The ANC, the SACP and Minister Nxesi – who straddles both parties – like to pose as the champion of the workers.

But really, they are a bunch of hypocrites fuelled by hot air. It is sad to see the SACP-Cosatu feud play out in public, but the Minister must do the right thing and whip his party into line without fear or favour.

Otherwise our labour laws will mean nothing and employers across the land will feel free to disregard them.

Issued by Michael Cardo, DA Shadow Minister of Employment and Labour, 6 April 2022