Cosatu against Obama's visit to SA

Imogen Vollenhoven
24 June 2013

President Jacob Zuma while addressing the media this morning said United States President Barack Obama’s visit to the country is a significant visit as the US is major trade investment tourism and technology partner for South Africa. 

Obama is expected to arrive in the country on the 28^th of June as part of his African tour. 

Presidential Spokesperson Mac Maharaj said that the United States is a major investor in South Africa with approximately 600 US companies operating in the South African economy.

Maharaj also added that president Zuma said that 90% of South African Exports to the US entered the country duty free and the visit would further strengthen US South African dialogue, in areas which include health, education, agriculture, law enforcement, trade investment, energy, nuclear security and long proliferation as well as regional security.

Meanwhile the Congress of South African Trade Union said it is against the visit by President Obama. 

Cosatu is planning anti-Obama demonstrations which will take place on Friday. 

Cosatu said it is outraged at the horrifying record of US foreign policy in the world.

Cosatu Spokesperson Patrick Craven said that Barack Obama comes as the political leader of the United States of America which in Cosatu’s view has consistently adopted policies which are against the interests of the majority of the world’s population in particular the workers and the poor.

“One of the issues on which we feel particularly strongly is the support the America continuous to give to Israel but also its failure to end the economic blockade of Cuba and to release the Cuban Far East political business who’ve been imprisoned on a trumped up charge in America,” added Craven.