The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) President Dan Balepile has lashed out at the ANC, accusing the former liberation movement of working with what he called “class enemies”.
Balepile’s statement comes after the ANC, following last year’s general elections, opted to form the government of national unity (GNU) with the Democratic Alliance, a party whose policies are in general diametrically opposed to the ANC’s
Speaking at the union’s 18th National Congress, which will elect new leadership, he questioned how the ANC could claim to serve workers while entering into partnerships with parties that oppose working class interests.
Not leaving the ANC
Balepile said NUM had no intention of cutting ties with the ANC. However, it believed that the political organisation has changed from what it was in 1994.
He raised concern that the policies of other GNU parties were mostly not aligned with what the ANC stands for.
Responding to these concerns, ANC SG Fikile Mbalula said the party welcomed such criticism. It also valued honest engagement, he added.
Mbalula said the ANC will attend the second day of the elective congress to fully hear the concerns. He said he was standing in for Minister of Minerals and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe. The latter also had a National Council of Provinces commitment.
He told delegates at the congress that the ANC remains committed to the National Democratic Revolution (NDR). This is despite criticism from within the alliance over the GNU.
Mbalula said the GNU was a tactical response to the 2024 general election results. The ANC has experienced a major loss that needs recovering, he added.
Major setbacks
“Any serious revolutionary understands that there are moments when we have to take tactical measures to open space for the revolution to recover from a major setback. The GNU must be understood in this context,” said Mbalula.
“Our strategy for the realisation of the NDR has not changed. But the tactics do change based on the material conditions occasioned by the outcome of the 2024 elections. We no longer have a 50% majority, but we remain in control of government. And we will not retreat from pushing forward the national democratic revolution,” he added.
Mbalula argued that the ANC remains capable of implementing its manifesto. This is the case even in the new political landscape.
Alliance
He also acknowledged that the political moment had exposed tensions both within the tripartite alliance and in wider society.
“The 2024 movement has brought to the fore stark contradictions, both within the alliance and society in general. Like any living organism, our alliance is dynamic, constituted by four independent allies.
“Even though we share common perspectives on the NDR, we will always have differences on tactics. However, we are all committed to the unity and cohesion of the alliance. We are engaged in deliberations aimed at strengthening the alliance,” said Mbalula.
Mbalula praised NUM’s long-standing role in the liberation struggle. He commended its continued importance in advocating for workers.
Praises NUM
“The ANC does not take these invitations lightly. We recognise the National Union of Mineworkers as the single union that shaped the contours of the very fabric of our revolutionary struggle,” said Mbalula.
He highlighted the need to improve mineworkers’ living conditions and wages. The ANC remains loyal to the working class as the foundation of its support, he said.
“Political liberation will remain hollow liberty without fundamental economic transformation across race, gender, and class,” he said.
