Cosatu march on garage sends message to boss

COSATU’s provincial leadership and members of the union marched to a car repair workshop in central Durban yesterday after a female employee was allegedly doused with petrol and set alight by the company owner’s son.

KwaZulu-Natal police confirmed that the incident took place on May 21 and that a suspect had been arrested.

Zinhle Mchunu was discharged from Addington hospital this week.

“A 28-year-old suspect was arrested and charged for attempted murder. He will appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday,” KZN police spokesperson Thembeka Mbhele said.

Cosatu provincial secretary Edwin Mkhize said the union was disturbed by the incident because it took a lot for workers to come to work and sell their labour power.

“The workers sweat everyday for these employers who make a lot of profit while these workers only receive peanuts. When you have incidents like this what does it mean?” Mkhize asked.

The company owner said his son had told him that he had accidentally set alight the employee. “I told my lawyer to work it out with her and and ask her what she wants… we’re willing to do that. We’re willing to sort her out. We’re gentlemen. Accidents do hap- pen,” he said.

“This disturbs the whole process of uniting our society and ensuring peace and stability,” Mkhize said.

“We want to send a clear message to the employers that whoever thinks that they can exploit and abuse workers will find us there as Cosatu. We also want to urge workers to join unions because that is how they can be protected,” Mkhize said.