Threats to disrupt World Cup

Johannesburg - Cosatu will not allow the "false" 2010 mascot Zakumi, which is being manufactured in China, to be sold in South Africa.

The union also warns that it will put a stop to any Fifa or World Cup-related functions in Cape Town until Fifa acts ethically and insists on ethical standards in the manufacture of Fifa-related products.

This comes in the wake of news that T-shirts for the World Cup and Bafana Bafana, as well as the Zakumi mascot - which, Cosatu says, is supposed to be a symbol of our country - are not being manufactured here.

On Tuesday the Chinese "sweat factory", Shanghai Fashion Plastic Products and Gifts, which obtained a sub-contract to produce Zakumis for ANC MP Dr Shiaan-Bin Huang's company Ascendo Industrial, removed its contract with Ascendo from its website. But Fifa's logo is still displayed.

A doll depicting Jacob Zuma, used to encourage people to vote for the ANC in the 2000 online election, was also removed from its product list after Sake24's report.

Last week the British tabloid News of the World exposed the abominable working conditions at Shanghai Fashion, where workers earn as little as R23 a day for up to 11 hours' work.

On Tuesday ANC spokesperson Brian Sokutu said that no meeting to discuss the outsourcing to Shanghai Fashion with Huang had yet been requested. The ANC had not asked Shanghai to remove the Zuma doll.

Cosatu is demanding that all World Cup-related products be manufactured in South Africa. If it is necessary to import anything, such products must be produced in fair and equitable business conditions.

- Sake24.com

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