Press Statement: Job seekers, COSATU Young Workers Forum (Western Cape) and PASSOP lodge human rights complaint against BP

Press Statement

For Immediate Release

Job seekers, COSATU Young Workers Forum (Western Cape) and PASSOP lodge human rights complaint against BP 

Affected job seeking immigrants, leadership of COSATU YWF and PASSOP will at 2 PM today submit a human rights commission complaint against BP for allowing inhumane treatment and behavior at their Salt River circle BP garage. Additional to this complaint, a complaint of xenophobia will be laid, because it was observed that the BP garage in question targeted immigrants.

Representatives will hand over photos and video footage on behalf of the many job seekers affected.

Background:

On the morning of Wednesday the 12^th of October leadership of COSATU YWF discovered that feaces were smeared on a picket fence and on the street in front of the BP garage in Salt River. The low picket fence was where immigrant job seekers sit daily, and they observed that the job seekers were on the opposite side of the road as a result of the stench. They were informed that only the picket fence on the roadside where immigrant job seekers wait was smeared.  It was noted that sadly the job seekers from South Africa and immigrant job seekers waited on different sides of the BP garage.

Following their observation COSATU YWF organized a small team to investigate the incident. PASSOP representatives and some of the job seekers teamed up and gathered information. It was found that the “head of security” instructed that the smearing be done and the team was told it was done with the “full knowledge of BP management”. It was also found that this was not the first time this had been done, despite complaints. Several job seekers, aided by COSATU YWF and PASSOP, are lodging a complaint with the human rights commission today at 2pm.

For more information please contact:

Lazola Pukwana (COSATU YWF Coordinator)  0735857241

Braam Hanekom (PASSOP)  0843191764