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Vavi: Cosatu march not about Mangaung

Johannesburg - Cosatu's planned march for Wednesday was not about campaigning for the ANC's elective conference in Mangaung, the union's general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Saturday.

"People are preoccupied wtih Mangaung. When campaigns are launched they view that as (a) Mangaung agenda," he told the regional congress of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) in Tshepisong on the West Rand.

The African National Congress will hold its elective conference in Mangaung in December.

Vavi said every programme of the trade union federation had been viewed as a campaign for the ruling party's conference in December.

The March 7 strike is against e-tolling and the banning of labour brokers, he said.

Vavi noted that the e-tolling system is equivalent to the privatisation of roads. "In no time everyone will be paying for the use of public roads."

He said the highways were not only for the elite but for the working class also.

Tolling is imminent on 185km of the N1, N3, N12 and R21 around Johannesburg and Tshwane.

With effect from April 30, motorcycles with e-tags will pay 20 cents a kilometre and those without, 38 cents. Light motor vehicles will pay 30 cents and 58 cents respectively, and non-articulated trucks 75 cents and R1.45.

Articulated trucks with e-tags will pay R1.51 a kilometre and those without R2.90.

Under the new fee system, the cost for motorcycles and light vehicles will be capped at R550 a month.

Earlier this week, Vavi contended that Gauteng highways are national assets and not commodities for profit.

On labour broking, Vavi repeated his call for it be banned.

"Government wants labour broking regulated while we want it banned.

"If we do not stop it, we will end up with 80% of the workers employed on temporary basis without benefits."

Cosatu also asked workers to avoid "lists or slates" when electing new Numsa leaders for the region.

"Slate politics have no logic, you must elect based on the capacity to deliver," said Vavi.

The comment came after delegates could not agree on a method to conduct its election.

Numsa's Tembisa branch proposed that the election should be conducted by a show of hands while other branches opted for secret ballots.

Vavi said those elected based on slates would not serve the interest of the workers.

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