JOINT NUMSA AND SATAWU PRESS STATEMENT
Wednesday 21, December 2011
We, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) and the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) in KwaZulu-Natal (KzN) highly concerned by the number of our people we have lost on our roads since the beginning of the festive season. We send our deep and heartfelt condolences to the families of those who perished on our roads since the start of the holiday season, and we also wish those injured and hospitalized a speedy recovery.
What pains us most; the majority of those who are dying on our roads are workers and bread-winners in poor and working class households. We call on passengers not to board suspicious or unroadworthy taxis or buses. Boarding unroadworthy buses or taxis, beware - you will be riding a mobile coffin and you will die!
We firmly of the view just like the HIV/AIDS pandemic, road fatalities weaken the collective voice of the workers and the poor as we struggle to reverse the triple crisis of poverty, unemployment and deepening inequalities in our country.
These ugly road accidents in our province once more highlight the need for safer, affordable and efficient public transport. As NUMSA and SATAWU, we will work closely with our vanguard party of the working class - the SA Communist Party (SACP) in the province to mobilise our communities, particularly workers and studying youth to call for the creation of safe public transport system.
We strongly believe that at the core of these road accidents or fatalities is a result of capitalist greed by both bus and taxi-owners, who are not concerned at about the safety of neither people nor drivers who are subjected to long hours of work and high levels of exploitation.
Both NUMSA and SATAWU puts the following demands to make our roads safe;
1. Unroadworthy cars, minibuses and buses must be removed on our roads by traffic authorities;
2. Traffic authorities or police demanding bribes from road offenders must be punished;
3. Drivers driving under the influence of alcohol must be punished;
4. Refuse to take or board unroadworthy public transport;
5. Refuse to be overloaded or squeeze in taxis or buses;
6. Refuse to be driven by a driver who is suspicious of drunk;
7. Cautious by making sure that the driver is driving within the required speed;
To all the motorists and drivers, adhere to the ABC's of driving, don't drink and drive, arrive alive, Asiphephe!
Festive Greetings:
Wish all workers and their families a peaceful and joyous festive season, remember don't compete with tenderpreneurs, spend your hard earned income on necessary expenses, tough times are lying ahead!
Statement issued by Mbuso Ngubane, NUMSA KZN Regional Secretary and JV Dube, SATAWU KZN Provincial Secretary, December 21 2011
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