FAWU Mourns Member's Passing Due To Covid-19

The Food and Allied Workers’ Union (F.A.W.U.) is deeply saddened  to announce the first COVID-19 related death on 28 May 2020 of one of our union members, comrade Monica Mphatsoane employed by RCL Food Processors in Worcester in the Western Cape . She was married and leaves behind four children. We are at a loss for words over the passing of one of our own, particularly as she and other members have expressed concerns over the number of infected employees at the plant. Our hearts and prayers go out to the bereaved family during this difficult time. 

COVID-19 regulations and the uncooperative stance of some companies in the industry makes it difficult for the union to get access to members in order to ensure that work places are practicing the appropriate precautionary measures to protect their employees.

FAWU is outraged at this RCL branch that refused to communicate with the union after various attempts to engage the company over members’ unease about how the company is dealing with positive COVID-19 cases. FAWU had to request the intervention of the Department of Labour just to establish whether the company is in compliance with COVID-19 health and safety regulations since we could not get the information from the company in the first place. While the company did shut down for a 24- hour period, members are still concerned over quarantine facilities for those who are not able to self-quarantine since many workers live in small, crowded houses. For those who were tested at state health facilities, waiting periods can take seven or more days for results. For this reason, FAWU calls on RCL to rather provide private testing for all its employees which yields quicker outcomes as we believe the latter  will assist many potentially COVID-19 positive members to get immediate medical care.

It is terribly frustrating that some companies are not forthcoming with information over their COVID-19 work place measures. This causes confusion and frustrations amongst our members who then rightfully request the involvement of the union to advise them on health and safety issues. We appeal to these companies to avoid creating panic and unnecessary fear amongst members and to allow the union to do its job whilst it adheres to COVID-19 regulations.

Food and beverage sector members were declared essential service workers during this pandemic and felt like that they had no choice but to continue working. Our members are scared to get up each day to go and work but unselfishly continues to do it to ensure food production and supply for the nation and take care of their families.

It is imperative that businesses allow unions access to members to assist them and to create awareness amongst its constituency about COVID-19 regulations and compliance in the work place as we have seen an increase in unfair labour practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact the FAWU General Secretary Mayoyo Mngomezulu on 082 440 4039. Released by FAWU Media Liaison Officer, Dominique Martin -082 498 5631

FAWU Demands Government Clarify Tobacco Ban

FAWU notes the risky conditions under which its members have found themselves in and the threat in the tobacco industry following challenges emanating from COVID-19 and the remaining ban on tobacco sales.

FAWU remains firm in its position to respect those decisions made in order to save the lives of people in South Africa including FAWU members in all tobacco companies. We reject replacement of the entire industry which will result in most South Africans being exposed to the same health risks the country is trying to alleviate, e.g. jobs losses in the rest of the tobacco trade and associated value chain. 

FAWU represents the larger part of workers in the tobacco industry, ranging from farms that are providing the raw material to tobacco business and the processing, distribution and the entire value chain.

FAWU reiterates its position that all workers must remain a priority on Health and Safety discussions in workplaces. They must be provided with all necessary PPE, sanitisers, screening and free tests amongst others, including education as to how to best protect themselves in and outside the workplace. This should even include compensation of all workers in the form of COVID-19 allowances as they risk their lives being outside their place of residence.

FAWU has publicly declared a war on illicit trade and dumping of products in South Africa because it impacts negatively on our members’ jobs and causes billions in tax revenue losses. This campaign included illicit trade in tobacco products. The current ban on legal and legitimate cigarettes provides opportunity for the illicit trade of cigarettes to flourish. 

FAWU’s position is that the growth of illicit trading does not only contribute to the negative effect to the economy but most importantly might lead to thousands of job losses which will lead to a rise in the unemployment figure in the country. 

The President of the country has announced easing of travel on domestic air travel on alert level 3 for work purposes and we can therefore expect to see a higher influx of illegal imported cigarette being sold. This is not new at all. It is going to be even worse since legal tobacco products are banned from sale in the domestic market. The country cannot afford the growing number of criminals to replace a lawful industry.  

FAWU does not dispute current discussions regarding health problems associated with cigarettes - in particular those that existed even before COVID-19. It is however important that the reasons that led the government to ban the sale of tobacco are published. This research report should include the relationship between the cigarette health related problems and corona virus but also the extent to which active cases are related to corona virus. We believe this will contribute to spreading valuable knowledge that will assist the country to curb the spread of corona virus.

It is important that research should be done on the relationship between the illicit tobacco trade and its health risks to South Africans since such counterfeit cigarettes are not subjected to certified quality standards for human consumption. This therefore means that illegal cigarettes remains a contributing factor to health-related problems in the country.

Statistics reported by the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele indicates that the illicit trading of liquor and tobacco has risen during lockdown. This confirms that people are currently smoking across the country and are probably becoming comfortable with these illegal products. After the ban has been lifted, they might not even switch back to the genuine/ legal product. It is difficult to arrest them since smoking cigarettes are legal and we are finding ourselves in a situation where the illicit trade is booming and is now threatening legitimate businesses with a high probability of  job losses. 

The very same reason that led the government to ban the sale of tobacco has unintended consequences whereby people  are still getting sick because they are now worse off consuming, non-quality passed products during this lock down period. This then defeats the very same purpose why the government banned tobacco initially.  

The growth of the illicit economy, particularly in terms of cigarettes and the adverse impact of billions lost through the unlawful trade should be a quick reminder to the government of FAWU’s outcry about the unlawful trade of money which should have ended up in the fiscus. Government would then be able to direct more funds towards poor communities who sleep without food, conduct important research on the corona virus and implement other necessary government services.

The Commissioner of SARS, Mr. Kieswetter, has also alluded to the fact that the illicit sale of cigarettes has continued despite the ban of these products during the lockdown. This indicates that the country is losing even more billions of rands seeing that illicit traders evade tax. FAWU calls on government to do more to curb the illicit trade of tobacco.

During April 2020, SARS effected several seizures and a list of detentions of various goods including cigarettes. These seizures continue unabated on a daily basis running into billions of Rands that do not flow into the fiscus.

FAWU Calls on the government to:

▪ Issue health reasons related to corona virus from its medical report for relevant stakeholders and the entire nation to be educated on how to handle themselves amid covid-19, with the possibility and intention of relaxing the total ban on tobacco;

▪ To finance an even more stringent multi-discipline (SARS & SAPS) approach to address illegal manufacturing and illicit sale of tobacco; 

▪ To secure all ports of entry in the country to arrest illicit traders who smuggle illegal goods in the country;    

▪ The Department of Employment and Labour to update the nation on the newly recruited inspectors to monitor the compliance on Health & Safety in workplaces; 

▪ Share the number of cases against employers in all permitted sectors of our economy who were found not complying with the regulations including the action taken against them.

We believe that people in South African shall be safer when non-quality tested products are not on sale to the nation. Our peoples’ safety remains a priority during our fight against the spread of corona virus.  We hope the government adheres to our calls as we feel it will contribute positively to the health and safety of our workers and the nation as a whole. We also believe that a comprehensive and intensified approach against illicit trade shall assist the country in its capacity to deal with COVID-19.   

Kindly contact FAWU General Secretary, Mayoyo Mngomezulu General Secretary 082 440 4039. Released by Media Liaison Officer, Dominique Martin -082 498 5631

FAWU Welcomes Agriculture Relief Funds

Media Statement

The Food and Allied Workers’ Union (F.A.W.U) welcomes the recent announcement by the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza, over her department’s grant of more than R500 million in relief funds to about 15 036 small holder and communal farmers who were severely affected by  the Covid-19 pandemic.

We believe that the funds will go a long way to assist its intended beneficiaries who include the most vulnerable rural communities across the country.  These small-scale and subsistence farmers are also responsible for the employment of many rural farm workers and farm dwellers and ensure food security for those living in these small communities. FAWU has always viewed self-sufficiency in food production as vital for survival for those living and working in agrarian areas. It is satisfying to see that the beneficiary groups extended its reach to included women, the youth and people with disabilities.

As an organisation representing labour, we are appreciative of the Ministry’s intervention efforts in terms of the severe challenges facing the agricultural sector and its most vulnerable stakeholders during this Covid-19 pandemic. 

We want to commend the Ministry’s initiative with the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to farm workers as they have become frontline workers in safeguarding food production and distribution to the nation during this life-altering pandemic.

We look forward to meaningful future engagements with the Minister to address existing challenges facing agricultural workers.

For more information, kindly contact the General Secretary, Mngomezulu Mayoyo - 082 440 4039 or FAWU National President Atwell Nazo on 079 892 4896. Released by Media Liaison Officer, Dominique Martin -082 498 5631                                                                              

FAWU Mourns Tragic Passing of Denzel Skweyiya

It is with great sadness that FAWU has learnt of the passing of Comrade Denzel Skweyiya. It has been reported that the Toyota sedan he was driving in collided with a BMW in a horrible accident that occurred on the N2 Highway between King Williams’ Town and Mdansane last Friday evening. 


Comrade Denzel joined FAWU in the early 90’s having been absorbed through FAWU’s decision that it must be at the forefront to absorb cadres who were coming from exile. This conscious decision was to strengthen the collective revolutionary work of communities, the ANC and the SACP, Unions and the entire Mass Democratic Movement. The process was led by Ray Alexander Simons who is credited to be the resource behind the formation of FAWU - known as Food and Canning Workers’ Union (FCWU) at the time of its formation. 


Comrade Denzel received military training as an MK combatant during the liberation struggle. He also worked with many giants of our revolution in his return such as Professor Simons and many others. Cde Denzel received capacity within and abroad and during his return from Lusaka joined FAWU through South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU). Denzel is one of many comrades who, upon his return from exile, worked on the ground in communities to build the structures of the ANC and those of the Communist Party. He was passionate about strong and vibrant structures of the Alliance that worked together towards a successful overthrow of the apartheid system. He worked for FAWU’s Finance Department at its head office in Gugulethu in Cape Town for many years. He assisted the union in establishing progressive and well-structured financial mechanisms and principles, which conforms to International accounting standards. 

Comrade Skweyiya will be remembered by many for his contributions to the union and for sponsoring views that advance the strength of the union particularly in terms of establishing co-ordinating structures and systems that strongly supported its Constitutional structures. He was also known for his international work in terms of reaching out to other worker organisations and promoting worker-to-worker contact around the globe. He will be remembered for advocating self-sufficiency in the administration of FAWU. 

Comrade Skweyiya understood that every sphere of life is a site of struggle and so he extended his abilities and financial acumen and became a Chief Financial Officer in the Eastern Cape Provincial Government. FAWU extends it sincere condolences to the Skweyiya family, communities, to the Eastern Cape Department of Transport and many activists as we have lost a humble thinking tank in the political, organisational and many other spheres. 

May his soul rest in eternal peace!

Issued by FAWU General Secretary Mngomezulu Mayoyo - 082 440 4039 mngomezulu.mayoyo@fawu.org.za

COVID-19 Guidelines For FAWU Members

FAWU Finds SAB Retrenchments Deplorable

The Food and Allied Workers’ Union (F.A.W.U.) notes with extreme discontent ABInbev’s SAB unit’s flawed initiative to retrench more than 600 employees.


It is even more disconcerting that FAWU had to handle dismissals via retrenchments on the very same day that workers were supposed to commemorate Worker’ day. It flies squarely in the face of the historical efforts and sacrifices of all those who fought hard towards May Day to ensure the dignity of workers in workplaces against the capitalist greed system across the world that seemed to prioritise profit maximization at the expense of labour. 

“At the very beginning of the lockdown, we have already expressed that many employers would take advantage of it with claims of financial constraints which, in many instances are unfounded. It does not surprise us then that SAB did not satiate a fair process, which remains an obligation, as well as a requisite in terms of the LRA of 1995 as amended on the part of the employer”, said FAWU General Secretary Mngomezulu Mayoyo. The very same SAB retrenched workers not so long ago, and for them to follow a similar pattern does not surprise us even amidst the current conditions of the corona virus disease we are faced with. It will not surprise us if more than 1 000 workers are affected in the end as a result of this devious conduct by SAB in this year alone. FAWU will not tolerate any unfair attempts against our members by employers based on the premises of a Covid-19 attack. On the contrary, we will be practising an even more vigilant approach against any such initiatives that seek to undermine legitimate processes in a bid to increase the crisis of unemployment. We furthermore hope the repudiation of sale of alcohol is not an aggravator that leads to dismissal of workers as an alternative. 

We have already approached the Labour Court on an urgent basis to challenge this malicious and unfair conduct by SABInbev and working with our legal team in the process, we shall be contesting any element of unfairness in pursuit of saving jobs. Those employers who choose to dismiss workers with the hopes of enjoying higher profits, and who are cutting corners in lieu of embarking on saving lives of employees are not in the fight against corona, but are in a race of profit maximization. It is disheartening and morally reprehensible seeing that it is the very same employees whose labour is responsible for profits and sustainable businesses.