JOHANNESBURG, April 15 (ANA) – The African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) on Friday slammed the banks that closed accounts of the Gupta owned Oakbay Invesments company saying the victims of the move were in the “majority the unemployed SA women and children who are the dependents of the employees”.
In a strongly worded statement the ANCWL accused the banks of being “biased towards their imperialists’ masters than serving the people of South Africa”.
The ANCWL statement released by its secretary, Meokgo Matuba, said while it was not a “spokeperson” for Oakbay or its subsudiaries, the league was concerned about the effect the decision to close the company’s banks accounts would have on employees and their dependants.
The ANCWL said it has noted decisions taken by a number of financial institutions regarding Oakbay Investments (PTY) Ltd.
“We believe that the victims of the collusion strategy taken by these financial institutions are in majority the unemployed SA women and children who are the dependents of the employees of Oakbay Investments (PTY) Ltd,” said the ANCWL.
“Therefore the ANCWL will not be on the sidelines to watch the financial monopolies waging cold-war against SA women and children.”
The ANCWL said while it had forgiven FNB in 2013, “we have not yet forgotten that they orchestrated an attack on the ANC and Government as well as acting in a ‘treasonous’ manner by posting online videos that fed into the opposition narrative that seeks to project the ANC and its Government in a negative manner”.
The league said instead of calling for people and government to close their accounts with FNB, the ANC took a decision to accept the apology from the bank.
“Now the same bank which has Johan Rupert as its shareholder through ‘Remgro’ is part of the strategic indirect onslaught on the workers who have dependents to provide for,” said the ANCWL.
It said banks, which it did not name, continue to follow their imperialist masters in colluding and dislodging other companies.
“They continue to disregard the casualties of their actions as they can’t identify with the struggles of the workers,” said the ANCWL.
“In a country like ours with high unemployment rate which severely affects women and children, the main objective of this cold-war initiated by financial institutions is to increase the levels of poverty and unemployment in SA which is characterized by race and gender factors.”
The ANCWL said it was calling on “all our members who are working in these financial institutions to work through their labour unions to engage COSATU and propose a total shut down of these institutions whose aim is to attack the working class using their imperialism muscles”.
– African News Agency (ANA)
