The National Union of Metalworkers Union of South Africa will go ahead with its planned march against corruption at the end of the month.

Numsa president Andrew Chirwa told the media in Johannesburg on Tuesday that they were receiving support from other unions.

“We are glad that the FEDUSA, National Union Council of Trade Unions (NACTU) and its 19 affiliates and a significant number of independent unions are joining us in this action. As a federation, we have dispatched a letter to NEDLAC indicating such support,” he told reporters.

“We are also overjoyed that other trade unions have indicated their determination to do likewise in the next few days. This support puts to rest attempts to portray the action on September 30 as a Numsa strike. The action of September 30 is people’s action united against the cancer of corruption.”

Two marches have been planned for the day, one will be to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, while the second one will be in Cape Town to Parliament.

Chirwa said they were joining a coalition that would unite against corruption as it eroded the gains made by the country and negatively affected all citizens of the country.

Chirwa said the auditor-general had found that 72% of organs of state audited for 2013/2014 did not comply with tender procedures.

He added that they had found large scale non-compliance with local content requirements of the preferential procurement policy framework act and its regulations leading to massive job losses in companies owned by local suppliers.

He said the framework required the use of locally produced goods when state organs procured goods and services.

“Instead of this, what we have seen is large scale importation of solar water geysers. The R50bn Transnet tender to build 1 064 locomotives was awarded to five foreign companies.

Corruption robs us of potential jobs and it undermines existing ones. The trick of the corrupt elite is to find politically-connected BEE and non-manufacturing companies to partner with these foreign companies,” he said. News24