The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa are calling for President Jacob Zuma to face the 783 charges brought against him by the National Prosecuting Authority in 2007. Re-elected union secretary‚ Irvin Jim‚ said the conference had resolved that Zuma face the charges and be sent to jail if he is found guilty.

He was presenting the resolutions of the union’s 10th conference which was held this week in Cape Town.

In April the North Gauteng High Court ruled that the 783 fraud‚ racketeering and corruption charges against Zuma should be reinstated after an application was launched by the Democratic Alliance.

Zuma is still appealing the decision.

Numsa has also rejected the proposed national minimum wage of R3500.

“We denounce with contempt the current minimum wage of R3500 put forward at NEDLAC by Cyril Ramaphosa as a modern-day slavery wage that does not come close to the R12500 which Marikana workers were massacred for‚” said Jim.

He said the proposed amount was their demand long ago and material conditions had drastically changed since then.

“Congress agreed to campaign against this poverty minimum wage‚ and to adopt R12500 as a minimum wage in South Africa‚ in honour of the Marikana workers‚ and that any minimum wage should be in terms of real inflation and the prevailing high inequality that exists in our country‚” said Jim.

He said a minimum wage in South Africa would not be meaningful unless it was linked to abolishing the apartheid wage gap.

“No society can be free and democratic (when) half of its population suffers gender oppression‚ domination and exploitation. Congress called for a radical mind-set change in society towards women. We must fight for gender equality‚” he added.

[Source: TimesLive]