Africa's largest labour federation calls out predatory western capital
Cosatu leaders have blamed foreign resource extraction and weak local beneficiation for economic hardship and migration, while backing calls for reparations linked to slavery and colonialism.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has criticized Western capital for its exploitative practices in Africa, leading to millions of Africans fleeing their home countries for better opportunities. Cosatu's First Deputy President, Mike Shingange, stated that the migration patterns are a result of the unrestrained extraction of natural resources by European and American companies, which leave African countries impoverished.
He cited mining companies that extract minerals for 40-50 years, causing distress in communities and taking profits away. Shingange also mentioned that workers lose jobs as profits leave the country, prompting them to seek wealth elsewhere, such as in Italy. This comes amid a UN committee's directive that countries must consider reparations for the transatlantic slave trade and address the legacy of racial discrimination.
The committee sees this as a "paradigm shift" away from debates over historical responsibility. Shingange emphasized that South Africa's immigration crisis is also due to the exploitation of various parts of the continent by the private sector, which extracts wealth and profit while building infrastructure in those countries. Cosatu, representing 2.2 million workers, supports the demand for financial compensation for colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade, which are considered crimes against humanity.
The federation believes that African countries must negotiate better deals for natural resource extraction, focusing on local beneficiation to promote industrialization and avoid forced migration.
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