Cosatu plans strike to protest state capture

Trade union federation Cosatu has resolved to embark on a national strike to protest against state capture.

"This perilous situation must be addressed forthwith by mobilising against this predatory elite and pushing for processes that will ultimately dismantle their network‚" Cosatu said in a statement.

The congress said it would make a series of demands during the upcoming strike‚ including that President Jacob Zuma appoint a judicial commission of inquiry to probe state capture‚ as directed by former public protector Thuli Madonsela.

"The federation shall be demanding that the state and all its institutions must refuse to deal with the predatory elite and in particular cancel all commercial dealings with the Gupta family‚" Cosatu said.

"There must be a process to identify all those involved in state capture and they also need to be similarly blacklisted. The Asset Forfeiture Unit must seize the assets of the Guptas if the probe proves that they were not legitimately secured.

"All contracts which have been entered into with the Guptas‚ including mining licences‚ tenders‚ subsidies or other exercise of public power such as citizenships should be urgently reviewed by the Auditor General for irregularities‚ in order to develop a financial claim for monies corruptly secured."

The trade union's calls come following a backlash against the Gupta family for their alleged role in state capture and shortly after British PR firm Bell Pottinger was implicated in the controversial family's dealings in South Africa.

TimesLIVE reported on Monday how KPMG's involvement with the Guptas had resulted in an industry-wide probe by auditing industry watchdog the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors.

Cosatu said the money recovered from those involved in state capture should be redirected to projects that address the plight of workers‚ the working class and the poor.

"We also demand an investigation of the recent spate of Gupta related emails and all those implicated in them have to be suspended‚" the labour organisation said.

"Government Ministers who are implicated in alleged state capture activities must be urgently investigated and if no proper public explanation for their actions is acceptable they must be charged."