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The Congress of South African Trade Unions has noted the report in the City Press on 28 February 2010, about the shoddy work done by SGL Engineering Projects, the company if which Julius Malema is a director and owns 70% of the shares.

COSATU has made no comment on the media story about Julius Malema's financial affairs. We felt that this had nothing to do with the federation's call for lifestyle audits of public representatives with business interests and the inherent clash of interests, audits which we suspect will reveal personal wealth which a few representatives will not be able to explain.

Julius Malema is not a public representative, and has the right to own a business. But the City Press article reveals a different scandal - of a company which won a tender then delivering exceedingly bad service and shoddy workmanship, which has left poor people high and dry, without necessary services which they had been promised. While an individual has the right to run a business, it must be a genuine business and not a scheme to milk the public and leave the poor without critical infrastructure.

COSATU's Central Executive Committee will be discussing this matter at its meeting which takes place from 1-3 March 2010