The SA Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, has strongly lambasted Goodyear South Africa’s decision to close its Kariega (Uitenhage) manufacturing plant in the Eastern Cape.
The global tyre manufacturing giant on Friday confirmed plans to cease all production operations in South Africa by December 2025, marking the end of nearly eight decades of manufacturing at its Kariega facility.
Vavi described the decision as a significant precursor to future labour disputes nationwide, amid South Africa’s worsening employment crisis and the decline of its industrial hubs.
“We now face a coordinated wave of industrial disinvestment across the Eastern Cape — and workers are being left to carry the cost. This is a defining moment for South Africa’s industrial future. Either we surrender to deindustrialisation and corporate greed, or we rise to defend jobs, sovereignty, and economic justice,” Vavi said.
The federation has condemned the decision as an act
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