Political situation

Shift in the policy discourse: The CEC unanimously observed that the political debate is shifting to the left, judging by the tenor of the ANC 8 January statement, elements of both the President’s State of the Nation Address and the Budget Speech. The CEC is unanimous that there are interesting developments in the policy arena on macroeconomic policy, industrial policy and comprehensive social security.

COSATU must remain vigilant since we do not know the details of government positions on these issues. COSATU will not exaggerate gains or drop its guard. The shifts are not qualitative and certainly do not signal a consensus on a new developmental path based on fundamental restructuring of the economy through an active industrial strategy that will lead to massive absorption of the unemployed into the labour market. The shifts are never unambiguous and are full of contradictions. They happen within a conservative economic climate in which it is constantly repeated that the economy is doing well and that we have turned the corner. Some are still saying that GEAR was right all along and that we are now reaping its fruits, with talk about 500 000 new jobs being used to promote glowing optimism. Yet the reality for the working class and the poor is extraordinary levels of unemployment, ravaging poverty and growing inequalities. The 500 000 jobs per annum, whilst representing small progress, in the context of the massive job destruction in the first decade, they will not help us realise the modest goal of halving unemployment by 2014. Moreover most of the jobs are of poor quality, created in sectors renowned for high levels of casualisation and sub contracting such as construction, retail and the hospitality industry.

Moreover COSATU is concerned that these shifts are managed outside of the Alliance and the ANC, but through a team of economists from Harvard and the President’s Investment Council. Be that as it may, a door has been opened and it is incumbent upon the Federation to seize the moment and accelerate the policy shift.

This will require engagement within the Alliance and mobilisation in civil society to create a bottom-up policy momentum.

On the other hand, these shifts seem to represent a growing convergence within the Alliance that the current trajectory is far from fulfilling the aims of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR). While progress has been registered over the last 13 years there is recognition that there remain many challenges that must be confronted with even greater vigour.

These shifts also reflect the significance of pressure from the Federation over many years on jobs and poverty, macro-economic strategy and comprehensive social security. COSATU’s demands have become prominent in the national agenda and one reading can suggest that the government is finally responding to the workers.

Still the question remains: is this a cynical move to occupy a left position that has been occupied by COSATU during this year of the ANC conference or is this a genuine shift to the left? Discussions on what informs these shifts will continue within the Federation.

The political challenge confronting COSATU is how to seize the moment to ensure a qualitative shift in our society to ensure the second decade of democracy benefits the working class. As such there is a potential for either unity or conflict on key economic and social development as we prepare for the SACP Congress and the ANC Policy Conference and National Conference in December.

These shifts however occur within a conservative climate which repeats the notion that the economy is doing well and that our society has turned the corner. This conservative convergence threatens to overshadow and downplay the inequitable nature of the current growth path. As such, there is an ideological battle to maintain a message that it is big business and not the poor who are the major beneficiaries of economic reforms. The second decade of freedom should address key concerns of the working class which are mass creation of quality jobs, eradication of poverty and eliminating inequalities.

Character of the ANC: We all recognise that the ANC is a powerful force in society and that the workers of this country have invested a lot to build the movement. While it remains a broad church, there is a hegemonic conservative bloc, which has attempted to move the movement to the centre left. This is manifest in the hollowing of the internal organisation, poor internal democracy and the locus of the centre of power in the state, changes in the key cadres driving the ANC, and on economic policy. Another key concern is the tendency to use the ANC as an instrument of individual accumulation, whether via the state or through business connections. However the environment is not static and is subject to intense contestation. Therefore the principal task of the working class is to recapture the ANC as a progressive and radical liberation movement.

Internal coherence: COSATU is not immune from developments within the ANC, as was evident at the 9th Congress. In this environment internal cohesion and unity is important and congress was a clear test of the federation’s internal coherence. Furthermore, the divisions that emerged out of congress have not yet diminished. This requires conscious effort to address unity and overcome these divisions.

A concerted campaign to contest COSATU at all levels is underway, requiring a clear political response from the Federation. To that end, it is imperative for COSATU to understand what it is happening in its provinces and locals. COSATU must further invest in political education and mobilisation to ensure a uniform voice at all levels. If COSATU locals are to play a decisive role in influencing ANC branches, they require a lot of empowerment, both politically and organisationally.

NDR and Socialism: While reaffirming COSATU’s longstanding resolution on the dialectical link between the NDR and socialism, it is imperative to reflect on the meaning of the current debate on this issue. A conservative reading of the NDR is attempting to de-link it from socialism and propose that the NDR cannot intervene in changing class contradictions in our society. The debate is thus polarised between the NDR and socialism in a way that shifts the debate from the real question, i.e. how far have we managed to achieve the minimum programme of the NDR, namely the Freedom Charter. The debate this year should pivot around this question, while also theorising on the transition to socialism.

What this debate signifies is that for some in the movement the struggle is over and the time for accumulation has arrived. This signifies a potential rift in the popular movement that was united by the goal of building a democratic, non-racial and non-sexist society. The working class faces the Herculean task of convincing the rest of the movement that the NDR is far from achieved. We may have access to political office but the nature of our democracy is not far-reaching in political and economic terms.

Wealth and power still resides with a white minority and for many blacks, opportunities may have opened but are tempered by the glass ceiling at the workplace, unemployment, poverty and inequality. Hence there is still a need for a broader multi-class alliance led by the working class to prosecute the NDR, noting that for the working class the ultimate goal is to achieve socialism.

The Alliance: The Alliance has not changed qualitatively in terms of its operation and as the driver of the transformation project. It still operates through cycles of shocks, big moments and long period of a lull. The balances of forces both nationally and globally are somewhat stacked in favour of a conservative agenda. Yet, developments in Latin America and the stubborn reality on the legacy of apartheid, offers an opportunity to shift power in favour of the working class.

Alliance Pact or Alliance Minimum Platform: The mandate emerging out of the COSATU Congress is a tough one, signalling an end to open-ended debate about the nature of the Alliance. The 9th Congress has set key tasks for the Federation to be reviewed in June 2008. These include restructuring the Alliance and arriving at an Alliance Pact for Development.

That means the political choices facing the Federation are not comfortable but have to be confronted. If we do not achieve a breakthrough in 2007 we face the choice of the Alliance continuing on this trajectory of zigzags. The 9th National Congress has made it clear that the working class will no longer tolerate this situation. The days of the blank cheque are over - workers want to measure the progress we are making through a pact.

Ideological Contestation: The CEC noted the abuse of Marxism-Leninism to defend conservative policies and ironically to argue against socialism. There can be no Marxist who does not believe in a socialism future! This is also linked to a revisionist reading of the ANC history to support the conclusion of this conservative agenda. It is important to deepen consciousness of our members around these theoretical issues. However, the principal task is to always link these theoretical debates to the trajectory of the NDR and an examination of the balance of forces in our contemporary world. Therefore while if it is important to ensure a correct reading of the classics, COSATU’s focus should err on the side of how current programmes achieve the aims of the NDR and lay the foundation for socialism in our historical epoch.

The role of the media in supporting the conservative discourse was also noted. The print media, with notable exceptions, was identified as particularly biased. The SABC was considered a political challenge, especially to ensure that its news desks reflect the diversity of our society, particularly the voice of workers. Some of the black editors are perceived to be playing a problematic ’racialised’ role. They see their task as defending a black government from what they conceive to be unfair criticism, and in the process they have allowed themselves to be sucked into factional fights that are playing out within the Alliance.

Ironically it the workers who play a critical role to mobilise their families and society to vote the ANC whilst they sit in the comfort of their office intellectualising. The best defenders of the ANC therefore are the workers who built it in the first place and who are the leading detachment of the working class which is the primary motive force of our revolution.

The SACP: the CEC was unanimous in noting the resurgence of the Party and welcomed this as an important development in tilting the balance of forces. Still the Party is confronted with similar challenges of maintaining internal cohesion, evident in several developments toward the end of 2006. The Party is itself contested and faces the challenge of maintaining internal unity. The CEC noted that COSATU must reflect on the implications of the strategic repositioning of the SACP that is likely to emerge out of the Party Congress.

Way forward:

The CEC spent time debating these challenges facing the organised working class and the broader working class and came to the following conclusions:

1.. Jobs and Poverty Campaign: The campaign will be revitalised to, among other things, influence the policy discourse in our society and the ANC Policy Conference. To that end we must act to build a united front against poverty as party of our bottom-up strategy. This should be seen as an initiative to reach consensus within civil society, starting with our closer Allies, to unite around a People’s Charter and Popular Movement to fight poverty and unemployment. The starting point should be to audit progress in achieving the aims of the campaign, draw new demands and engage in a process of mass debate and action around April. We noted that the ANC seeks to also build a broad front for development. This we welcome as it creates a reconnection with the workers and the poor who are its core constituency. We will work together with the ANC and other alliance formations including the ANC Youth League and Young Communist League which are already campaign on this front.

2.. Pact: We need to define what we mean by this in comparison with the Freedom Charter and the RDP. In defining the strategy of engagement, we must not be overwhelmed by what we think would be the reaction of the ANC, rather drive the congress mandate in such a way that will yield results. To that end, we must be transparent in our agenda to seek a Pact in the Alliance. The Pact should, among others, include development strategy, the nature of the Alliance and a deployment strategy. Further, we must ask our members what they would like to see in the Pact itself

3.. ANC Leadership Collective: The CEC noted that the COSATU 9th National Congress resolution marks a departure from COSATU historical position not to be involved in internal ANC leadership question. A framework should be developed to interpret the resolution, clarify why workers should take an interest on this matter and to lay down principles and criteria for an ANC leadership collective, and in that context reflect on the politics of quotas and moot proposals for other quotas, including for the working class and youth, to ensure a broadly representative NEC. The ratio of business/government leadership in NEC should also be explored. The principles should apply at all levels of the movement and parliamentary representatives. Finally, we must reflect on the relations between the NEC and other decision-making structures of the ANC, for example the relationship between the NEC and the NWC; the role of the SG’s Office and the role of cadres deployed in government.

4.. NDR and Socialism: To reiterate the points raised above, the critical task facing the working class is to radicalise the current path on the basis of the Freedom Charter. Only through contesting the direction of the NDR we will secure the building blocks to socialism. As per the 9th National Congress resolution we will launch a Commission on Socialism by finalising the composition and the terms of reference for the Commission. Further a process to engage the SACP will be set in motion, beginning with he major COSATU/SACP bilateral in March 2007.

5.. ANC Policy Conference: The key issues for COSATU to contest at the ANC Policy Conference will be strategy and tactics, development strategy, macroeconomic policy, industrial policy and comprehensive social security. COSATU will utilise the space towards the conference to raise sharply the demands of the working class and mobilise around the Jobs and Poverty Campaign. COSATU National Office Bearers have been instructed to create task teams that will critique all the draft ANC discussion papers soon to be published and circulated to ANC branches and Alliance structures and make sure that there is a wide debate within the Federation and in the Alliance on these documents.

6.. SACP National Congress: COSATU will engage with the SACP, informed by the call made by the 9th National Congress that "the SACP to unite the progressive left formations committed towards a radical transformation and socialism. Part of the work to achieve the above requires that the SACP needs to initiate the unity of the left movements that believe in socialism as part of a progress of building a popular movement towards socialism including convening a conference of the left". A major bilateral will be held with the SACP during the month of March to discuss this and other challenges facing our two organisations.

7.. SANCO: COSATU will constructively engage with the Alliance process to establish an interim committee to work with the SANCO constitutional structures to prepare for a national congress. COSATU hopes that the congress will address the challenges of unity and internal cohesion of this important ally of workers.

8.. Engaging with government on policy: Following the President’s state of the nation address and the Budget speech, the following tasks will be taken forward in the coming months:
 We will engage with the paper on comprehensive social security system
 We will propose draft regulation on how the private security industry could be regulated
 We will engage with the government industrial policy
 We will engage with government’s review of macro economic policy questions highlighted by the President such as exchange rate, budget deficit, interest rates, etc.
 We will engage with the government on the poverty line

The Living Wage Campaign

COSATU’s 9th National Congress instructed us to ensure that the Living Wage Campaign is revitalised in the face of the growing inequalities in our society, as highlighted by the ever-increasing apartheid wage gap.

To kick-start this process, Naledi presented a report on trends in bargaining and wages. It aims to provide unions with a snapshot of the economy and bargaining trends. Considering that 2007 is marked by several bargaining round not least in mining and public service, the report should hopefully serve as a source of information for unions and negotiators.

The CEC decided that wage bargaining would have to relate to the broader question of economic inequality and the widening wealth gap.

The report confirmed that the workers’ share of national income is continuing to decline. Negotiators were encouraged to use the information in ’Executive Pay in South Africa’ by Ann Crotty and Renee Bonorchis, which lists the massive increases for CEOs, and contrast them to the paltry increases most workers have been receiving.

COSATU should also relate this discussion to the debate on the establishment of a national poverty line. We shall not wait for Minister to announce this but engage in a debate on the level at which it should be defined.

It was agreed to use more proactively the provisions of the Employment Equity Act, Section 27 of which can compel employers to disclose the wages and salaries of all employees.

Public service unions raised the ongoing problems of workers being defined as providing ’essential services’ and therefore banned from striking, and the setting of a figure for salaries in the annual budget, both of which can make the bargaining process meaningless.

COSATU will continue to debate strong sentiments expressed in the discussions that multi-year wage agreements have not worked for workers. Some argued that the multi year agreement only serves to open the gap between union leaders and their base. During cyclical changes in the economy workers are left powerless to take advantage of positive changes by the time they make demands; after even three years they find that the advantage has been lost.

The CEC was angry at the way BEE is being implemented, with the example of Reunert, where four individual women each got shares worth R70m-R130m, while NUMSA’s members are entitled to 100 shares, worth R9000 each. In this context a debate has been launched in the federation on the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment and workers. Strong questions have arisen as to whether workers should continue to see BBBEE as representing mainly quality jobs, a living wage, training, affirmative action and fair labour standards or should unions negotiate deals that would mean that in the process of companies transforming to find BEE partners workers who produce the wealth of these companies take the lion’s share of the company shares offered? The counter argument is that this will only serve to make workers believe that they have a stake in a capitalist system and will not only dilute but completely undermine the ideological character of the Federation. This debate will be taken forward to the May CEC.

This debate should further explore ESOPS. There is a danger that if workers believe they are ’shareholders’ in firms, they will not be thinking of their own rights as workers, but their ’business interests’. An example was driver-ownership schemes, which raise fears of workers losing ’their’ trucks if they strike.

The CEC agreed to thoroughly examine the role of multi-national employers, so that negotiators can respond to employers who say that wage decisions were made in Germany or Japan and they cannot do anything about it. This means there is a need to use more strategically the international relations we have with many trade unions across the globe.

A worrying feature was workers being retrenched through sick absence policies, which is being used to retrench workers cheaply, often to be replaced by workers from labour brokers.

Wage bargaining should be seen as part of the fight for a more equitable society, that challenges the logic of capitalism. Solidarity action and trade union unity is crucial to the success of the Living Wage Campaign and the CEC resolved that we should do better to mobilise the wider movement in support of workers in the front line of struggle for a living wage.

Public sector unions bargaining council

Employers want a three-year deal to 2010. The public sector unions will fight their own wage claim, then appeal for solidarity if necessary.

Public Service Amendment and Single Public Service Bills

In summary the two Bills will in combination provide for a nationally single public service. However, in reality there is likely to be wholesale fragmentation with virtually any power (except legislative powers) being delegated from ministers/premiers to the heads of government agencies.

Apart from the labour implications on public service contracts, the proposed government agencies have significant implications for the delivery of services to the poor, with even provincial hospitals being identified as possible government agencies.

The 2007 NEDLAC Labour Summit, noting serious concerns with both Bills, identifying them as a priority for engagement, raising the possibility of joint action with other federations.

The CEC condemned the government’s failure to consult or engage the public sector unions and to engage labour through the Nedlac process. COSATU will appeal to the ANC and the Alliance to intervene to halt this unilateralism by the Minister of Public Service and Administration.

Should this bear no fruit, COSATU National Office Bearers were instructed to file a Section 77 notice that would allow all workers to protest against this unilateralism and fragmentation of the public service that will have profound implications for government’s ability to deliver services to the poor.

SABC

The date for the meeting with the SABC Group Chief Executive, Dali Mpofu, to clarify whether a senior executive of the SABC was in any way speaking for the SABC when he advocated for the isolation of COSATU and its General Secretary at a dinner with the ANC earlier in 2006, is still to be finalised.

The situation at the public broadcaster is made worse by the departure of John Perlman and other senior and capable presenters. We believe that this is a symptom of a political regime trying to impose particular conservative political view.

Swaziland

COSATU will be mobilising its members to demonstrate at all the SA/Swaziland borders on 12 April 2007, in solidarity with the people and trade unions of Swaziland fighting for democracy and human rights. 12 April 1973 is the day that King Sobhuza banned all political parties and introduced a decree that remains in force taking away all peoples basic freedoms such a right to association, right to assemble and a freedom of speech.

Zimbabwe

COSATU will be demonstrating in all the establishments of the Zimbabwe government, such as their High Commission, in support of the general strike called by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions on 3-4 April. Both the economic catastrophe and the attacks on human rights have worsened, as reflected in the swelling tide of migrants fleeing into South Africa, which his has led to widespread exploitation of these workers by unscrupulous employers who are taking advantage of their situation whilst at the same time distorting the South African labour market. The CEC resolved to struggle to organise and protect these and other vulnerable immigrant workers and to demand harsh penalties for employers breaking the labour laws.

COSATU does recognise the heroic role played by the Zimbabwe government and people in the liberation of our country. Further COSATU does appreciate that perhaps President Mugabe and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez are amongst the very few world leaders willing to confront head on the naked hypocrisy and general aggression of the US government, in particular now under the leadership of George W Bush. But that does not mean that COSATU will close its eyes when President Mugabe’s government tramples on workers’ and human rights whilst blaming all his country’s problems to imperialists. Whilst it is true that the global balance of forces limits space for more radical change, he too must take personal responsibility for leading his country from being the breadbasket of our region and continent to being the basket case of our region and continent.

2010 World Cup

The CEC repeated its call for more labour representation in the Local Organising Committee and its provincial and local structures. A Nedlac draft agreement contains the main pillars of our demands on fair labour practices and local procurement. Concern was expressed the ’clean cities’ campaign could lead to vendors being forced off the streets and losing their livelihoods during the world cup.

We remain extremely concern that SAFA has largely ignored calls to host a soccer indaba to develop strategy to address the free fall of our soccer standards. It’s a delusion to believe that appointment of a high profile and experienced coach such as Mr Parreira will necessarily on its own address this challenge.

COSATU welcomes the arrival of Mr Parreira and call on our nation to give him our full support as he and his team endeavour to rebuild our soccer and place us back to recovery.

HIV/AIDS

The CEC welcomed the government’s ambitious new plan to reduce the rate of new HIV infections by 50% by 2011, and its hopes of placing 80% of HIV positive people on treatment. A process to engage with the strategic plan must be put in place to avoid temptations to unilateral action by government. COSATU will insist not only on the realisation of targets but also to ensure that the plan addresses the chronic shortages of health workers and the lack of investment in health infrastructure.

The new, restructured SANAC will have its first meeting at the end of March. The 1st Deputy President will represent COSATU, and at the first meeting the COSATU General Secretary will attend to send a message of how seriously we take the work in SANAC.

COSATU will ensure that we are effectively represented in the Nedlac task team, which is looking at how to tackle the epidemic better. The CEC expressed concern at the lack of broader support for the NUM’s Rustenburg strikers, one of whose demands is discrimination of workers living with the disease by management.

Further the CEC noted with concern the deteriorating health of Minister Manto Tshabalala Msimang. COSATU sends its best wishes to her and her family during these trying times. We wish her speedy recovery and strength to her family and the comrades in the movement as a whole.

The CEC condemned the DA’s totally insensitive and inhumane statement on the Minister of Health.

SASFU - armed forces union

The CEC confirmed the affiliation of SASFU, with 5 600 members, to COSATU. This brings the total number of COSATU affiliates to 22.

We also noted that the Constitutional Court will from today, 1 March, be hearing the matter to determine whether the Department of Defence’s Regulations preventing army unions from affiliating to federations who organise workers across industries such as COSATU does are constitutional. COSATU, irrespective of these Constitutional Court challenges, have been advised to also launch an application to the Constitutional Court to challenge these regulations. We shall do so.

COSATU will engage with the Minister of Defence and the Alliance to ensure that the regulations do not undermine the right of the army union members to associate.

May Day

This year’s theme will be: "Create quality jobs; stop poverty and inequalities now! In addition the CEC endorsed the following sub themes:
 a.. Defend workers’ rights; defend human rights; unite against abuse of farm workers.
 b.. A living wage for all.
 c.. Intensify struggle against HIV/Aids
 d.. Stop casualisation and subcontracting - Say NO to labour broking."

COSATU has now finalised all its preparations for May Day, including deployment of its leaders to address the rallies organised by provinces. The alliance will be asked to nominate speakers. Mobilisation for all the rallies has begun.

We are engaging the departments of labour and arts and culture to define their role and support of the May Day rallies. Their role should however not mean taking the initiative to take away workers’ right to celebrate their international day in the manner they see fit.

Fidentia

The CEC expressed deep shock at the potential loss of millions of rands in funds for the widows and orphans of mine workers and other workers from other sectors of our economy. We discover every day that more and more of our union members’ hard earned wages may have fallen victim of this shameful scam. So far SAMWU, FAWU and SATAWU reported that some of their funds were invested in Fidentia. They urged the curators to complete their investigations as soon as possible and recover as much money for the beneficiaries as possible.

Trustees, both for the employers and workers, must take full responsibility for investing workers hard-earned savings in what seem to have been a fly-by-night and unregistered company. Should any of the trustees to be found to have inappropriately colluded with Fidentia to cause this pain, we shall call for the harshest penalties possible, irrespective of who they are, including even if they are union members or leaders.

The Fidentia scam highlights the correctness of the long-standing call by COSATU that no effort must be spared to train and empower trustees so that they fully comprehend both their fiduciary and political responsibility to members of the retirement funds they are administering. The mentality of leaving things to "the experts" has been very costly.

We agree fully with the sentiments by the Minister of Finance in this regard and pledge to work with him and all other relevant institutions including Nedlac to ensure that trustees, in particular those representing members are trained and capacitated. We shall convene a meeting with the Minister and the Financial Services Board to look at ways of ensuring that this scandal never happens in future and ways of alleviating the impact this scandal may have on the workers and their dependents.

Vodacom

The Communications Workers Union reported on a bitter dispute for recognition with Vodacom, which has exhibited an anti-union mentality. The union has been trying for nine years to reach agreements with Vodacom. MTM and Cell C. Vodacom now claim they have recruited more workers and therefore CWU does not have a high enough proportion of workers to qualify for union recognition. CWU has a certificate of non-resolution from the CCMA and are notifying Vodacom of a dispute. They also intend to call a secondary strike in parts of Telkom, which has 51% of Vodacom’s shares.

The CEC pledged COSATU’s full support for the CWU and Vodacom workers.

Farm workers

In accordance with the Congress resolution on farm workers and dwellers, FAWU has organised a seminar on the issue on 14-16 March in Johannesburg. The ministers of Land and Agriculture and Labour have been invited. COSATU, including through its provinces, National Office Bearers and affiliates will participate fully in this very important seminar. The task of the workshop is to develop effective strategy to defend rights of farm workers and dwellers whilst ensuring that they join unions as the principal way of ensuring their defence from unscrupulous farmers hell-bent on maintaining the current feudal relations in the countryside. The media are encouraged to attend.

The CEC endorsed COSATU’s message of support to the Minister of Land and Agriculture for expressing her anger at the abuse of farm workers and farm dwellers, and agreed to campaign together with government on farm workers. COSATU will use the workshop as a platform to begin a process of building a broad front between civil society and with government departments to halt the abuse of these vulnerable workers in the farms.

Cultural workers

The soon-to-merge unions, PAWE and MUSA, appealed for support for the campaign against piracy and announced a major cultural event in Witbank on 1 April.

Rustenburg Platinum v CCMA

The appeal to the Constitutional Court against the Supreme Court of Appeal judgement on Rustenburg Platinum v the CCMA, which seriously limits the role of the CCMA, has been set down for 8 May 2007. COSATU will be mobilising a picket at the court.

Shoprite Checkers and Karan Beef

COSATU expressed anger that Shoprite Checkers management and Karan Beef are hell bent on exercising vengeance against mainly shop stewards and members of the strike committee, instead of normalising the relationship with the workers following protracted strikes last year.

The CEC called for an end of the victimisation in Shoprite and Karan Beef of all workers who exercised their democratic mobilise other workers to withdraw their labour in demand of a living wage in particular at the time when the CEO of a company like Shoprite Checkers raked R59 million last year.