COSATU and the Arms deal 18-03-08

 

COSATU and the arms deal

The Congress of South African Trade Unions has noted that members of the ANC National Executive Committee have raised questions about the arms deal and allegations of bribery and corruption and are compiling a report on the arms deal.

The federation accepts the ANC Secretary General's assurance that no decision was taken at the NEC meeting which called on Mbeki to account for matters relating to the arms deal, and welcomes the fact that the ANC's own report will be available to the ANC leadership at the next NEC meeting in May.

COSATU is however concerned that the report will only be for the "internal consumption" of members of the NEC, "as its purpose was to inform the new ANC leadership about the arms deal". Given the legitimate public interest and concern about this issue, it should be dealt with as openly and transparently as possible, and the federation reaffirms the decision taken at its 3rd Central Committee in 2005 and reaffirmed by its 9th National Congress in 2006 for a full and impartial investigation into the arms deal.