South Africa – It was reported in the media earlier this week that the national treasurer of NUMSA, Mphumzi Maqungo, told International motor companies “to go!”
This follows the decision by the National Union of Metal Workers of SA to go on strike. As a result of this, BMW stated that they are currently considering suspending their operations in South Africa due to the unstable labour environment. On top of this, the CEO of Ford South Africa, Jeff Nemeth, made a phone call to Kaizer Nyatsumba of the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of SA saying that Ford is considering the same action as BMW.
On 5 May 2014 Trading Economics reported the unemployment rate as standing at 25,2%, yet emphasizing the fact that this is the number of people in South Africa looking for a job. If we add the numbers of people NOT looking for a job but sponging on government benefits, one can safely deduct that half of the able-bodied population of this country is unemployed. General Motors stated that 30 000 people are directly employed in the motor manufacturing industry with another 200 000 indirectly employed.
It boggles the mind that a person like Mpumzi Maqungo can so arrogantly believe himself to be in a position of sufficient power to add thousands more to the unemployed population. Arrogant, or maybe typically ignorant of the realities of a once prosperous country with all the labour and mineral potential to house industry ,now fast slipping into third world poverty and neglect as a result of people like this man and his union.
Daniel Lötter
South Africa Today – South Africa News
