Johannesburg - ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe on Thursday referred to Cosatu's “Lula moment” - a call for radical economic transformation - as the “Zuma moment”.
“We want to add to a few issues to make the 'Zuma moment' a reality,” Mantashe said during a debate on Cosatu's socio-economic report in Midrand, Johannesburg.
The “Lula moment” refers to former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was in office from 2003 to 2011.
Lula's first term was fraught with difficulty, but in his second term, he engineered a dramatic turnaround, improving the living standards of Brazil's working class.
The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) proposal for a Lula moment was a call for radical economic transformation.
Cosatu was holding its four-day national congress. Thursday was the last day.
The African National Congress has its national elective conference in Mangaung in December, where President Jacob Zuma was expected to run for a second term as party president.
Some affiliates at the congress agreed with Mantashe's call for a “Zuma moment”.
Earlier, delegates sang in favour of Zuma, holding two fingers up, indicating a second term.
According to Cosatu's congress rules, singing in support of leaders was allowed but “showing of signs that seeks to prematurely open the debate on leadership of the ANC” was not allowed.
Nominations for the ANC's elective conference open on October 1. - Sapa