All set for Cosatu May Day rally

The Eastern Cape Cosatu leadership says it is ready to host this year’s May Day rally at the Woolfson stadium in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday.

About 20 000 people are expected to attend the national event at which President Cyril Ramaphosa will speak.

Cosatu president, Sdumo Dlamini says they’ve ensured that this year’s event won’t be disrupted, as was the case in the Free State last year where former President, Jacob Zuma had to abandon his address.

“All that we are saying at the national level is that we call upon all workers to work together, because the enemy is one, the monopoly capital. They should be dealing with that, there should be no way that tomorrow is used as a fight among workers. It’s a fight against the system.”

Cosatu’s programme includes a march from Njoli Square to the KwaZakhele police station, where workers will hand over a memorandum to representatives of the Labour Department and the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. Cosatu provincial secretary, Xolani Malamlele says they are negotiating a different route with the police to avoid any clashes between members of Cosatu and Saftu.

“Our march was to pass to where they are going to be, on our way to the stadium. We have just again said we are prepared to change our route, negotiate with the police, so that we don’t go past where they will be, because it might be seen as if we are provoking them, even though we applied for the route first.”