Top leaders of Cosatu’s affiliates were locked in a meeting behind closed doors as efforts continued to save the historic tripartite alliance between the trade union federation, ANC, and SACP from collapsing.
This after major affiliates of Cosatu including the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), and the South African Municipal Workers Union, among others, pushed for a resolution for the federation to support the SACP in contesting the 2024 general elections.
Cosatu, the country’s biggest trade union federation, is holding its 14th national congress at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, in the north of Johannesburg.
The participation of communists through the ballot would spell the end of the tripartite alliance.
SACP and Cosatu have for the last few years been waging a relentless fight for the alliance to be the “centre of power”, meaning policies and deployment of senior leaders would be decided by alliance partners, instead of just the governing ANC.
With the frustration of not getting the “reconfigured alliance”, Cosatu unions now want the SACP to contest the ANC in 2024.
It was expected that the congress would come up with a resolution that would accommodate most of the affiliates on the issue of SACP going at it alone. However, there was strong support for the SACP to contest elections.
In the morning, congress delegates continued to come down hard on the ANC, saying it was failing them.
NUM’s national secretary for health and safety, Masibuelele Naki, said the leadership of Cosatu should not “shake” when speaking about the SACP contesting for power, adding that workers were ready to lead themselves.
“Cosatu leaders should join the SACP and pay levies to build a strong party. Don’t shake when speaking about this matter [of SACP contesting for power].
The anger of the workers in the ANC government was palpable from the first day of the congress when they refused to be addressed by ANC chairman Gwede Mantashe, whom they heckled and jeered from stage.
Mantashe had replaced President Cyril Ramaphosa as the speaker to deliver a message of support on behalf of the ANC, as per the tradition of the alliance on conferences.
On Tuesday, SACP secretary Solly Mapaila received a warm reception from delegates. He said the party was ready to contest for elections. Mapaila further told the delegates that the ANC had been infiltrated by criminals.
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