Cosatu and the City of Cape Town at loggerheads yet again

Lusanda Bill
22 January 2015

The Congress of South African Trade Union in the Western Cape has criticised the City of Cape Town for spending money on rubber duck boats instead of solving challenges of crime in the Cape Flats.

The City of Cape Town last week launched a new hi-tech rescue rubber boat that will further boost the response of its Dive Unit to flooding and water operations.

Cosatu’s Tony Ehrenreich said the city continues to focus on wealthy residents of the city and not the poor.  This is a waste of the city’s money and a disregard of the priorities of the tax payer’s money.

Ehrenreich said the City has to focus on the issues of crime and violence in the Cape Flats.

Meanwhile in response the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith said this is another example of Tony Ehrenreich and Cosatu demonstrating their broad ignorance in understanding security matters.

Smith says these rubber ducks are part of daily life saving activities and are an essential tool for staff to be able to go and pull somebody out of the water and an essential tool for the diving unit.

“So I am afraid what one sees here is Mr Ehrenreich trying to remain relevant in the media at the expensive of commenting on things that he simply does not understand” Smith added.