Satawu cautions on Chinese arms ship still at sea

By Frank Nxumalo
The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) says the Chinese vessel Au Yue Jiang carrying weapons for Robert Mugabe’s beleaguered regime in Zimbabwe is still on African waters looking for a friendly port more than three weeks after being turned away from South African waters.

The giant South African transport trade union played a pivotal role in ensuring that the Au Yue Jiang was not allowed to off-load its lethal cargo at any Southern Africa port by mobilising its own members and African and international labour movement solidarity under the auspices of the International Transport Federation (ITF) and the International Trade Unions Confederation (ITUC).

“Satawu can confirm that the Au Yue Jiang is still on African shores attempting to off load the controversial lethal weapons destined for Zimbabwe. The latest reports from the ITF, our global trade union federation, confirm that she docked in the Port of Labito in Angola and off-loaded building materials only.

“The report further confirms that the lethal weapons were not handled by Angolan dockers and therefore not off-loaded.,” says Randall Howard the general secretary of Satawu.

Vessel on its way to Congo
“The vessel is now on its way to Congo Brazzaville where we believe a further attempt will be made to off load the weapons. The Durban based ITF inspectorate working with Satawu has been monitoring its movements and will leave for Congo Brazzaville on an urgent basis to ensure that the weapons are not off loaded there.”

Howard condemned both the Chinese government and the Chinese Ocean Shipping Company (Cosco) its owners for pretending that they had recalled the vessel.
“This so-called recall was clearly intended to deceive and remove the massive groundswell of political pressure that had built up in a very short period of time. Both the Chinese government and Cosco have demonstrated that profiteering remains their overriding consideration over human solidarity and saving lives,” he says.

“It appears a judgment call has been made by them to wait around until the Zimbabwean electoral crisis is over - it will be a long wait in the context of avoiding a return trip and wasted expenditure.”

He said Satawu, its mother body, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the ITF and the ITUC had already been vindicated with regard to the moral stance they had taken given the fraught situation in Zimbabwe at present in the build up to that country’s presidential run-off between Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe following the March 29 general elections in which there was no outright winner.

“We again strongly call on all African governments and dock workers to refuse the vessel docking access and to refuse handling the weapons with a view to ensuring that the vessel leaves African shores immediately.

“We call on the United Nations to bring pressure to bear on the Chinese government to practically demonstrate their commitment to recall and stop using the politics of deception,” he added.

“Satawu’s interest only lies with the six containers of lethal weapons on board being boycotted and returned to Beijing until the political crisis in Zimbabwe is resolved, in the context of the possibility of genuine democracy reinstated based on the will of the people there.

“To that extent, we urge local, African and global media to ensure that this important humane story remains in the public discourse until the vessel returns with the weapons on board as the struggle did not end in Durban on 18 April 2008.”