ONKGOPOTSE JJ TABANE: It will take more than pretty pictures of SA to pique investors’ interest at Davos
Extract
As usual, a delegation of high-ups will head for the cold of Davos to convince the world that SA is still open for business. Sadly, they have a mountain to climb given recent events in our country.
Apart from the continuing story of unbridled corruption that is playing out at the Zondo commission, there is the continuing story of violence against women as well as seeing violence as a way of resolving our problems. Such violence is perpetrated by all social partners.
The unions had their turn this week at Sibanye Gold, where petrol bombs are now part of how the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) resolves problems related to bargaining. This can’t be the way to settle issues of bargaining — a matter as old as mining itself. There must be a way in which we can avoid another Marikana. It started just like this, when social partners failed to show each other reason and tragedy ensued. One would have thought we had learnt from this. We have become so numb to violence that there have been few voices condemning Amcu because maybe, in the absence of solid union action by the likes of the toothless Cosatu, we have come to believe that Amcu is the only credible workers’ voice. Maybe it is, but is violence the language of unionisation? How will President Cyril Ramaphosa sidestep the impression that we have an investor-adverse atmosphere? The government is not innocent. The mineral resources minister has mishandled the balance between ...
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