By Obakeng Maje
The Congress of South African Trade Unions in the North West, with its affiliates, will be celebrating Mandela Day jointly with the alliance by making sure that all the municipalities, traditional houses, old-age homes, orphanages, schools, hospitals and clinics are cleaned and painted.

“COSATU calls on all their members and leaders to make sure that they go out and respect our late president Madiba whose birthday we are celebrating, for the first time in his absence, with 67 minutes of community work” Cosatu provincial secretary-general Solly Phetoe said.

Phetoe said this celebration must be combined with celebrating the life of our first democratic president who made all South Africans what they are today.

The alliance secretariat met on 8th July 2014 and resolved that they must mobilise all their structures to participate in all the activities on Mandela Day with no exceptions for anyone.
Municipalities are requested to make sure that they lead by identifying areas that will need cleaning. Two of the key places where Cosatu agreed to make sure that their mobilised masses to go for cleaning is Mafikeng and Madibeng municipalities.

“We call on all our leaders of the COSATU affiliates to make sure that they participate fully and lead our members to the 67th minutes cleaning program in respect of the life of Tata Madiba” he outlines.

COSATU North West will focus on the following areas for cleaning:

•The hospital in Zeerust where the cleaning will be led by POPCRU
•Manamakgoteng old-age home, led by the NUM
•Sonop old-age home, led by NEHAWU and the COSATU Madibeng Local, jointly with the department of health and the municipality
•Letlhabile old-age home and Letlhabile disability home led jointly by COSATU and the municipality
•The cleaning of a poor family house in Tau Tsokonyane led by COSATU and the municipality.

“Our doctors from our union SAMA under COSATU in the North West calls on all doctors to actively participate in the activity of 18th July 2014 by visiting all hospitals and clinics, in particular in rural areas and spend their 67minutes at old age homes, hospices, special schools and clinics in remote areas” Phetoe said.

Doctors will be doing their normal screening, diagnosing and treating of poor old people and the disadvantaged communities. They will all be wearing their white coats and carry their necessary equipment and diagnostic tools.

The man who led South Africa to freedom is still with the masses of the poor people in spirit and must continue to respect his call to make sure that his date of birth is dedicated to the poor people of this country.

Our schools, clinics, hospitals, sports fields, municipalities, and old-age homes are not respected, due to corruption that continues, due to tenders to clean even our own offices and institutions.

“We are reminding all our members that on this day – 18th July 2014 – we must be ready to respect the old man who died for our democracy which some of us are abusing today” concludes Cosatu.-TDN
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