PRESS INVITE: Protest march against S.African company complicit in Israel and exploiting SA workers [04 Dec 2013]

Workers, environmentalists, activists and community members will be demanding that Cape Gate:

- Respect international law and end relations with Israel (Cape Gate through its Israeli subsidiary "Yehuda Welded Mesh", shamefully supplies material to, and profits from, the construction of Israel's notorious, "Apartheid Wall". Cape Gate also supplies material to and for the construction of Israel's illegal settlements (See below for more info);

- Recompensates Palestinians for having violated international law in supplying Israel with materials for the construction of Israel's "Apartheid Wall" and illegal settlements;

- Immediately discharge to ex-employees the "pension surplus fund" owed to workers for the last 18 years (and approved by the Financial Services Board), including full compensation for the unclaimed funds by families of the deceased;

- Award to the ex-employees company shares which were promised to employees 18 years ago;

- Afford workers and ex-employees the due process of medical check-ups that should have been carried out, and that these workers be awarded Occupational Health Compensation due to them in the cases of damage to health (due to employment by Cape Gate);

- Report back to Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (VEJA) and to surrounding communities regarding Cape Gate's carbon emission levels; Cape Gate has, till today, refused to issue a report to VEJA and the Vanderbijlpark community regarding Cape Gate's carbon emissions and pollution levels. The request for such information and report was informed by continuous chest pains and lung respiratory related infections experienced by members of communities surrounding Cape Gate;

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Two months ago on the 18th of September 2013 (https://ymlp.com/zIxSZQ) a memorandum was submitted (and also emailed to Cape Gate on the 08th of October 2013). Cape Gate failed to respond to either and a follow up picket was held on the 06th of November 2013 (https://ymlp.com/zXdU25) and at this picket Cape Gate, again, refused to engage with workers and activists (click here for photos: http://tinyurl.com/q7bvf7j).

Abraham Mokete of the Vaal Community Assembly said: "Cape Gate didn’t have the decency nor respect to respond to us...the arrogant anti-worker attitude of Cape Gate is shameful and disgraceful...we will now be returning [on the 05th of December] in our numbers in a major protest action that will see Cape Gate shut down and be forced to respond to our legitimate concerns. We have begun to liaise with other community, political and youth organizations to join us but we also invite all members of the public, including media, to join us in holding Cape Gate accountable to South African Labour Laws, Environmental Law and International Law. We, in good faith, requested democratic and transparent engagement with the management of Cape Gate in addressing our issues and in attempting to resolve them. We are disappointed that Cape Gate has refused to engage us in discussion and dialogue to resolve our issues. We now have no option but to protest and resort to legal recourse. We are also appealing to lawyers that could assist to also please come forward and please be in contact with us."

ABOUT CAPE GATE AND ITS INVOLVEMENT WITH ISRAEL

Cape Gate is a South African steel manufacturing company with a dismal record of labour exploitation and support of Apartheid Israel. In 2009, StopTheWall (the Palestinian-based human rights group which organizes campaigns to protest against Israel's construction of its illegal 800km long and 8m high Separation/Apartheid Wall) issued a report (http://tinyurl.com/no288c7) outlining Cape Gate's involvement (through its Israeli subsidiary "Yehuda Welded Mesh") in Israeli checkpoints, Israel's Separation/Apartheid Wall and Israel's illegal settlements. In the report, StopTheWall details how Cape Gate has been involved, specifically, in:

a) Building the Israeli fence and wall surrounding the Palestinian Gaza Strip;

b) Supplying fences for Israel's Separation/Apartheid Wall being constructed in the Occupied Palestinian West bank (in 2004, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel's Separation/Apartheid Wall was in violation of international law);

c) Supplying fences for the fencing of Israel's separate roads (built on occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank), including the Cross Shomron road (road no. 5), which leads to the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel, and the Israel Tunnels Road, which connects the illegal Israeli settlement of Gush Etzion and Jerusalem;

d) Supplying fences used in the illegal Israeli settlements of Barkan, Ariel and Karnei Shomron in the illegally Israeli occupied Palestinian West Bank.

The above involvement by Cape Gate with Israel was confirmed by the Israeli human rights organization, Who Profits, in a 2012 Mail&Guardian Newspaper expose (see: http://tinyurl.com/crglvge). The Mail&Guardian Newspaper also covered how Cape Gate was involved with the pro-Israeli organization, the SA-Israel Forum, which carried out "boycott-busting" trips to Israel.

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