Trade union federation Cosatu, which has already decided to back its alliance partner the ANC in next year’s election, will shortly announce its position on one of the major pillars of the party’s campaign. At its December policy conference at Mangaung, the ANC accepted the National Development Plan (NDP) – a long-term strategy aimed at strengthening the local economy.
The Mangaung commitment has been repeatedly reaffirmed by the party leaders, but Cosatu affiliates have been broadly critical, some aggressively so.
The situation illustrates the anomalies within the alliance: Cosatu backs the ANC in elections but is prepared to bitterly oppose it on any number of critical issues, for instance on e-tolling in Gauteng.
According to Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini, the movement has now finalised its formal position on the NDP and will soon publicly spell it out in greater detail.
Agreeing to back the ANC before agreeing to its election platform seems to be putting the cart before the horse.
The NDP is a 20-year vision that looks at the economy in the broadest sense, in an attempt to promote growth and particularly to create employment.
The plan encompasses access to services such as education and health, the transformation of urban and rural spaces, improving capacity in the public service and fighting corruption in both public and private sectors. It also addresses the environment and sustainability.
The plan, which was developed by a commission under the chairmanship of National Planning Minister Trevor Manuel, is the topic of a panel discussion to be broadcast on CNBC Africa on Thursday at 2pm.
At the discussion which was pre-recorded last week, Dlamini said that Cosatu had not taken a “rejectionist position”. However, he was quick to add: “But we do not wholly embrace the NDP. We have taken a nuanced approach. We will not isolate ourselves from society on this broader discussion.”
Despite this concession, Dlamini identified a huge stumbling block – though he did not describe it as such. Cosatu is not prepared to wait 20 years to achieve the NDP objectives. The unemployed could not wait that long for jobs, he said.
He noted the two other government policy initiatives: Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel’s New Growth Path and Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies’ Industrial Policy Action Plan (Ipap). And he said the NDP had to be “in synch” with both. He recalled that at the end of the Mangaung conference, the ANC said “this is the moment for radical economic transformation”. And he asked whether the NDP “talked to that” objective. He called for immediate interventions to create jobs such as beneficiation of commodities – an initiative that is part of Ipap.
His comments highlight another problem with South Africa’s policy planning – there are too many plans. Even worse than the proliferation of plans is the lack of, or failure in, implementation.
Not only is the alliance deeply divided on fundamental issues, but the ruling party itself presents a potpourri of views. It won power in four elections not on any policy platform but on its struggle history.
Because the party can rely on the past for votes it has no need for policy coherence. But, as Manuel repeatedly points out, there is no need to wait for full agreement on the NDP in its entirety to start work.
It should be possible to begin in crucial areas such as education where agreement could be reached on certain objectives.
It should be possible, shouldn’t it?