Johannesburg - Cosatu's biggest affiliate, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu), was expecting a backlash from the federation following its decision to push for the resignation of President Jacob Zuma.
The union’s leaders also dreaded attacks from what they described as factions within the ANC, which included the ANC Youth League and the Women’s League.
This was as Cosatu had decided to put a lid on the ANC leadership-succession debate at its last congress, fearing that divisions would follow as a result.
On Tuesday, the union issued a scathing statement following its two-day national executive committee meeting, saying Zuma should take the “honourable and courageous decision in the interests of the ANC and our people” and resign as president.
However, Cosatu has opened the door for Nehawu’s resolution that Zuma should leave office.
It called on the ANC to follow its “traditional” route of succession by appointing Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa as Zuma’s successor, a position Nehawu has expressed in the past.
Federation spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said Cosatu “noted” the statement and would discuss the issues at its next central executive committee (CEC).
Nehawu leaders said they could no longer hold back while the country’s socio-economic crisis deepened due to lack of “strategic oversight” and leadership by Zuma and his government, whose leadership had become “untenable”.
Bereng Soke, general secretary of the union, which represents public sector employees, said they were confident they would win their sister unions over when the matter was up for debate at Cosatu’s CEC meeting on November 21.
Soke said this was because of broad unhappiness and dissatisfaction with Zuma’s leadership expressed by people across the country.
On whether the organisation opposed the ANC’s stance that a single leader shouldn’t take responsibility for party failures, as it abided by a “collective responsibility” principle, Soke said that position was wrong.
“In every collective there’s a leadership, and every collective will abide by the style of the leader. We think that we must start there first, and the rest will follow.”
The Nehawu executive committee came to its conclusion following talks spanning seven months. The decision could also be viewed by some as vindication of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and former Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, who were kicked out of the federation for being critical of the current administration’s leadership, among other reasons.
Nehawu was part of the cabal within Cosatu that pushed for the expulsion of Numsa and Vavi.
@ThetoThakane