Alliance chasm widening: unions

ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe fields questions from journalists at a news briefing in Johannesburg on Monday, 24 November 2014 following a meeting of the party's National Executive Committee.Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA

ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe fields questions from journalists at a news briefing in Johannesburg on Monday, 24 November 2014 following a meeting of the party's National Executive Committee.Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA

Published Mar 16, 2015

Share

Durban - The cracks in the ANC-SACP-Cosatu alliance widened on Sunday, with their leaders coming under attack by unionists in Durban.

ANC secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe, was accused of being “power drunk” and on a “permanent mode of destruction”. This, the unionists said, would destroy the alliance.

Hundreds of union representatives had gathered for a shop stewards’ council meeting at Durban’s Coastlands Hotel.

Convener, Mike Sikani Radebe, claimed Mantashe was in cahoots with two other leaders on a “mission to suffocate” the working class.

“Mantashe, (SACP leader) Blade Nzimande and (Cosatu president) Sdumo Dlamini are working against the working class aspiration for a better living wage and working conditions,” he said.

“This alliance is terminally paralysed. It will need the working class and vigorous programmes to mobilise for it to gain its past glorious days.”

The meeting was held to draft a programme of action to tackle problems at Cosatu, including the expulsion of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) from the federation last year.

Numsa and seven other unions affiliated to Cosatu were represented - the Food and Allied Workers Union; Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA; South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union; SA State and Allied Workers Union; Public and Allied Workers Union of SA; Communication Workers Union; and South African Football Players Union.

Radebe said the shop stewards and union members were finalising a programme of mass mobilisations against load shedding, corruption, labour brokers, unemployment, water shortages and “poverty pay”.

“We are fighting for a militant, independent trade union movement, Cosatu, which is in a state of paralysis and that has given our government an opportunity to pursue its neoliberal policy direction, as articulated in the National Development Plan.”

The unions vowed to “paint” May Day red, instead of yellow (an ANC colour) as had been the case in previous years.

Numsa’s provincial secretary, Mbuso Ngubane, called for workers to prevent the ANC from dominating the event.

“We will have the event painted red and there will be no more long speeches about political party (ANC) issues. The workers will take the lead this time and issues affecting the workers will be the focus of the day,” Ngubane said.

Cosatu’s general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, endorsed the programme.

“The ruling elite are keeping their opulence while they keep the living wage at the lowest. We didn’t struggle for social grants. Enough of Vavi versus Sdumo. Let’s be preoccupied by mobilising workers to work towards achieving the goals of the working class,” Vavi said.

Contacted to respond to the claim that he was “power drunk”, Mantashe said the unions were trying to create scapegoats.

Dlamini, who was not at the meeting, said there was no truth to the claims he was working against the alliance, while Nzimande, through the SACP spokesman, Alex Mashilo, said the claims did not make sense.

“The SACP is fully confident that Cosatu as an independent organisation is capable of solving its problems,” he said. “Our general secretary (Nzimande) has never been involved in Cosatu’s internal affairs. Only a fool would believe that the SACP works against the alliance.”

President Jacob Zuma admonished those who criticised his government and who rejected the ANC’s attempts to reconcile warring parties in the federation, the SABC reported.

Daily News

Related Topics: