Hot on the heels of a strongly worded declaration of solidarity by the General Secretary of the Gauche Révolutionnaire – French division of Committee for Workers International, the Enough is Enough campaign and the Marxist Workers Party have joined forces.
In an email to the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality City Manager, Leila Messaoudi, calls for the reinstatement of municipal spokesperson Kupido Baron and human resources specialist Gayle Grootboom.
Grootboom was dismissed in June and Baron in July for gross insubordination following years of racial profiling, marginalisation, and oppression.
Messaoudi admonishes the municipality’s racial discrimination, stating: “We are outraged that a democratically elected government has revived the disregard for fundamental human rights and even the racist methods of the universally hated Apartheid regime.”
Gauche Révolutionnaire sent this rebuking communique in a response to an international call for solidarity initiated by the Marxist Workers Party, a national workers movement.
Michael Pillay, initiator of Enough is Enough (a local pressure group), said they welcome the support of the international community in solidarity of a worthy cause.
“While we initially came together to fight for social justice and the reinstatement of Kupido Baron, it is now evident that the rot at the municipality runs much deeper than we thought.
“This became clear when both unions at the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality refused to join the international solidarity campaign, signalling one of the reasons why service delivery came to a halt in Gqeberha and surrounding areas.
“Together we will not only heighten our efforts to reinstate the two officials, we will also work towards the development and implementation of a fair employment equity plan at the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
“The majority of the eight metropolitan municipalities in the country use local demographics to determine racial employment targets.
“There is no logical reason why the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality cannot do the same again.
“During the tenure of Executive Mayors Nceba Faku and Nondumiso Maphazi local demographics were used. It was also the last time the municipality had council-approved employment equity plans, which is in itself a travesty of justice,” Michael Pillay said.
Both Baron and Grootboom approached the South African Local Government Bargaining Council to get their unfair dismissals, disrupting 47 years of combined service, set aside.
Leila Messaoudi, also a municipal councillor in Petit-Quevilly (France), further wrote: “These are not just workers – they are parents and breadwinners who now face the daily anguish of not providing for those who depend on them.
“We demand that the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality recognize the human cost of these actions and urgently correct this injustice.”
While Baron’s arbitration date must still be determined, Gayle Grootboom has an opportunity to fight her case on 23 October.
Marxist Workers Party General Secretary, Weizman Hamilton, said that the racist methods in the dismissals are an attempt to divide working class communities against each other.
“This diversion is an attempt to distract us from the poor service delivery, nepotism and corruption. We reject this with contempt.
“We call upon working class communities to stand together regardless of race in a united campaign of resistance,” Hamilton added.
Author: Kupido Baron from Kupido Baron Communications on behalf of Enough is Enough.
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