Alliance partners ‘fed up with being used’

An ANC supporter holds a flag of the ANC while the President Jacob Zuma addresses ANC Gauteng Cadre Assembly in Pretoria. Picture: Phill Magakoe

An ANC supporter holds a flag of the ANC while the President Jacob Zuma addresses ANC Gauteng Cadre Assembly in Pretoria. Picture: Phill Magakoe

Published Dec 10, 2012

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Pretoria -

The ANC’s alliance partners in Tshwane have claimed the alliance in the region is dead and that they are tired of being the ANC’s “voting machinery”.

The Cosatu-affiliated SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu), and its partners the SA National Civic Organisation and the SACP in Tshwane have even vowed to intensify its marches and protests against the ANC-run Tshwane metro and the ruling party itself next year.

The three claimed last week that they were tired of being used by the ANC to campaign for support in local government elections, only to be ignored after the votes had been secured.

The alliance partners appear to have been frustrated by the failure of the metro and the regional ANC leadership to address their grievances regarding corruption in Tshwane.

This includes what they call “an unresponsive attitude” to a memorandum of demands they handed over to the city after a march against corruption in Tshwane last month.

The march, which was led by Cosatu president S’dumo Dlamini, demanded, among others, the immediate release of the Special Investigating Unit report into corruption allegations in Tshwane.

They also demanded the reinstatement of 1 500 workers who they claim had lost their jobs in the metro after their jobs were allegedly given to ANC loyalists through the public works programme “Vat Alles” (Take Everything).

Samwu regional secretary Surprise Mnisi was unapologetic about how the union viewed the ANC, particularly since the election of the current ANC regional leadership. “The alliance here in Tshwane is dead.”

The Star

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