Johannesburg - Cosatu denied on Tuesday that it had canned a report on a survey of shop stewards who showed opposition to President Jacob Zuma being re-elected.
“The report has not been canned, Cosatu chose to instead wait for its completion... it will be released some time next year,” said spokesman Patrick Craven.
The Forum for Public Dialogue (FPD) conducted a national survey of 2 000 shop stewards among Congress of SA Trade Union (Cosatu) affiliates in all nine provinces. The report was to have been released by FPD chairman Moeletsi Mbeki on Tuesday.
The study focused on shop stewards' social, economic and political attitudes.
According to the invitation to the release of the report, the survey found that shop stewards wanted nationalisation, had no confidence in the SA Communist Party, and wanted Cosatu to form a labour party.
“On leadership in Mangaung, the study found that the majority of Cosatu shop stewards do not support Jacob Zuma's re-election for the position of president of the ANC,” the FPD said in its invitation.
“Cosatu shop stewards are divided between Jacob Zuma and (Deputy President) Kgalema Motlanthe. This is despite Cosatu's central executive committee's decision to support Zuma's bid for a second term.”
Business Day newspaper reported on Tuesday that the report's release was canned because Cosatu was “uncomfortable” with it.
However, Craven said Cosatu did not want to issue a “half-baked” report.
On Tuesday the FPD said: “We regret that the analysis has taken longer than we anticipated and we therefore can no longer release the findings on Tuesday 11 December 2012 as earlier indicated.
“The media will be informed of a new date in due course, as soon as we are ready.” - Sapa