
The strike by 1.3 million public sector workers in South Africa has
entered its third week after angry union members rejected the latest
offer from the government.

Recently, TV and talk radio have been obsessed with stopping the
construction of an “Islamic Center and Mosque” which will be located
two blocks away from where the World Trade Center used to be. The right
wing, including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and NY
Republican Gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio, have seized on this
issue, attempting to gain political support…What Gingrich, Lazio,
Reid and other right-wing commentators are practicing is a well known
method known as “divide and rule.”

As
the strike by more than a million public sector workers in South Africa
enters its second week, the government has launched an all out attack
against the unions using all powers at its disposal, including the
courts, the police, the Army and the media. The unions have replied by
threatening solidarity action which could involve the police and the
army.