Vavi slams govt hypocrisy over coal exports to Israel

By Akani Nkuna

SA Federation of Trade Unions general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has blasted the South African government, particularly the Trade, Industry and Competition Department, for continued coal exports to Israel.

“To the government and the DTIC, can you stop bring hypocrites. We saluted and we were happy that [the government] took Israel to International Criminal Court, yet you are still doing trade with Israel. You have not closed the Israeli embassy, you are allowing Glencore and other companies to ship coal to fuel the genocide,” Vavi told Inside Politics.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a protest outside the department’s offices in Pretoria.

Several unions, including the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), joined a protest organised by the South African Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Coalition. It forms part of an energy embargo campaign.

In their memorandum, demonstrators demand that the government withdraws any form of