Municipal workers see red

Cosatus second deputy president, Zingiswa Losi, speaks at Samwus 10th national congress in Bloemfontein. Picture: Boxer Ngwenya.

A no-show by Co-operative Government and Traditional Affairs Minister Richard Baloyi made municipal workers see red yesterday.

Delegates at the SA Municipal Workers Union’s 10th national congress in Bloemfontein accused the minister of delivering a “slap in the face” and of “neo-liberal” tendencies when he sent a top official instead.

Director-general Charles Nwaila ended up leaving without saying a word.

One after the other, provincial representatives rose to express their outrage at the perceived snub, rejecting a proposal from Samwu’s leadership that Nwaila be allowed to speak.

“It is insulting (of the minister) to send an official,” said a KwaZulu-Natal representative, accusing Baloyi of pursuing a “neo-liberal agenda”.

Nwaila was politely sent back to his office with a message for his political boss that he should come and address the congress today.

Given the mood, it seems unlikely Baloyi will comply.

But worse was to come.

Delegates grew angrier when it emerged that the Cosatu affiliate’s alliance partners were also showing them a cold shoulder.

Late yesterday, delegates were told that ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, billed to speak earlier, was “still looking for someone to send”. ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu could not say why Mantashe was not at the congress.

And SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande, who is Higher Education and Training minister, was nowhere to be seen – although a Samwu official said invitations to all speakers had been sent out two months ago.

SACP spokesman Malesela Maleka said no invitation had been received at the party’s head office.

There’d been no intention to snub Samwu. “We take such invitations very seriously,” he said.

“There was a misunderstanding, we never received an invitation.

“But we have sent the national chair [Senzeni Zokwana], the most senior official.

“He will address the congress tomorrow. He could not make it today as he had other commitments.”

Cosatu’s second deputy president, Zingiswa Losi, wound up being the only outside speaker to address the congress – but she was warmly received, especially when she said the trade union federation’s leadership would take up the matter of the no-shows.

If union members were supposed to be “equal stakeholders”, they needed to be careful that they did not end up “holding the steak while someone else is eating it”.

Samwu president Sam Molope criticised maladministration, fraud and corruption.

He said the recent Auditor-General’s report on municipalities painted a bad picture.

“When you look further in the report of the Auditor-General, you will realise that the service delivery protests are mostly as result of the blurred lines between the state and political parties, non-competent senior officials who are deployed or employed, and poor or lack of systems of management.

“Among other factors that contribute to the issues identified in the report is the recycling of deployees from one municipality to the other, which further entrenches corruption in the municipalities.”

The congress ends on Friday, when elections will take place.