Maintain World Cup standards - Cosatu
2010-07-14 14:11
Johannesburg - South Africa can never be the same again and must maintain the standards achieved during the World Cup, the Congress of SA Trade Unions said on Wednesday.
"The bar has been set very high, South Africa would be correct to demand... the same standards we saw in the last four weeks or nothing else," general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi told journalists at Cosatu House in Johannesburg.
The union federation had drawn up a declaration of commitment toward maintaining the current levels of unity and toward confronting the problems faced by the country after the World Cup.
It hoped to unite South Africa behind the national goals outlined in the declaration.
It would be approaching government, business, civil society, faith-based organisations and traditional leaders to commit themselves to these goals.
"... We have seen what you can do... we want to see these better standards all the way.
"We want the South Africa we have seen since June 11 to July 11," Vavi said.
'Psychological triumph'
The declaration includes a new economic growth and development path to address unemployment, poverty and inequality.
It also commits to address the problems of the country's education and health system, and to address crime and corruption.
"We demand that the judiciary should work as efficiently everyday... we demand from ourselves that workers adopt the same attitude as the past four weeks... we demand that government leads from the front."
Vavi said Cosatu wanted to see the same political "will and vigour" to deliver to the poorest of the poor in the country.
"We demand more decisive and visionary leadership. The period of own goals and foot in the mouth must belong to the past.
"Leadership must at all times, irrespective of whether there are visitors or not, act in an exemplary fashion," he said.
Vavi said the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a "psychological triumph" for the country.
"It has instilled an unprecedented feeling of national pride and self esteem," he said, adding that the event was the ultimate birthday present for former president Nelson Mandela who celebrates his 92nd birthday this month.
- SAPA
