Law must crush treasonous looters

THE TRADE unions must understand that they are not dealing with a government that is antagonistic towards blacks.

They are dealing with a government that is pro-black and represents people who live in poverty-stricken areas like Gugulethu and Khayelitsha.

It is their money that is being used to give well-fed workers at Eskom and SAA the large salary increases they demand each year.

Consequently, the people must say to those who threaten to bring our fledgling democracy to its knees that we will arrest the ringleaders on charges of treason and will hold them without bail until their trials are over in order to ensure that they do not go back to making mischief at our expense.

If this results in Eskom being shut down for a month, so be it.

We know that the cost of standing up to blackmail is likely to be far lower in the long run than the cost of allowing it to continue.

The unions must back down and allow us to undo the damage that was done by Jacob Zuma’s shortsighted policies and his desire to hold on to power at all costs.

In addition, we must refuse to grant bail to anyone employed by a state-owned enterprise who is charged with illegally benefiting by more than a certain amount unless the accused can show that there are compelling reason for bail to be granted.

Furthermore, we should instruct prosecutors to offer plea bargains and amnesties to those who return their ill-gotten gains and help to prosecute others.

With SOEs like Eskom and SAA threatening to suck the taxpayer dry, the emphasis has to be on being reimbursed and ensuring that corruption slows to a trickle.

Simply put, the threat of an immediate loss of freedom could work wonders without turning us into a police state.

People who work at essential services such as hospitals and power stations do not have the right to down their tools whenever they please and in threatening to damage infrastructure are skating on extremely thin ice.