Baldwin Ndaba and Mashudu Sadike
Pretoria - Cosatu members yesterday booed ANC national chairman and Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe off the stage, in a clear protest against government’s disapproval of salary increases for public workers.
Mantashe was due to deliver the ANC’s message of support at the 14th Cosatu national elective conference. However, he was met by angry workers who sang and told him to go away as they “did not have money”.
The workers broke into Asinamali song, to the great surprise of their top leadership, including the re-elected president Zingisa Losi.
Cosatu leaders could not contain the anger of the federation’s members, which resulted in them telling Mantashe not to deliver his message of support. Other Cosatu members even offered to escort him out of the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, north of Joburg, the conference venue.
One of the angry members told Mantashe: “We love the ANC, but we are disappointed by its leaders who do not care about the welfare of workers.”
Due to the pandemonium, delegates were told to go for lunch as tensions grew about the presence of Mantashe and his ANC delegation, including ministers of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu, Human Settlements Mmamoko Kubani and Environment and Fisheries Barbara Creecy.
One of the angry delegates was Kagiso Tsiane of the SA Municipal Workers Union in the Free state.
Tsiane said the tripartite alliance was not helping them as Cosatu. “The ANC no longer takes us seriously. It is not personal to Gwede but we are not going to allow anyone from the ANC to address this conference.
“We are sending the ANC a message … that the reconfiguration of the alliance must happen now,” Tsiane said.
Protecting Mantashe, Zulu barred the media from speaking to him and also urged Cosatu members not to show their displeasure at the ANC in front of the media.
“Let us address outside. Let us not showcase our problems in front of the media,” Zulu said.
Despite the hostile reception, Mantashe was adamant that he would address the conference, but Cosatu members were resolute that the ANC would not address them as delegates.
Delivering the opening address before being elected unopposed, Losi appeared to show support to the ANC amid growing discontent among her members.
“It is not by accident that Cosatu and its predecessor the SA Congress of Trade Unions have been part of the alliance. Workers deliberated on joining the alliance at length.
“The alliance, like any marriage, has its ups and downs. However, with all its challenges, it remains the best vehicle to advance the struggles of workers.
“The ANC and the SACP, with all of their challenges, their strengths and weaknesses, remain the most progressive and relevant political formations to drive the demands of the working class.
“Let us not be fooled by the peace time slogans of the opposition parties. They were nowhere to be seen when workers had to go on strike in Durban in 1973 or when Cosatu House was bombed in 1987 nor were they to be seen when the United Democratic Front was banned.
“These very same opposition parties have consistently voted against our progressive labour laws in Parliament.
“They have promised to repeal them if they are elected to government,” Losi said. “They have stated unambiguously that they will scrap the minimum wage, end collective bargaining, remove protections from unfair dismissals, slash the salaries of and retrench public servants, and sell all our state-owned enterprises.
“The ANC is not perfect. It has made serious mistakes. It is battling to cleanse itself of the demons of corruption and factionalism. It is contested by various class forces.
“Yet it has stood with Cosatu when we demanded the constitutional enshrinement of workers’ rights, the passing of our labour laws and our many other progressive laws.
“Our task is to defend workers’ hard-won victories. We must contest the ANC and the alliance to ensure that the voice of workers is heard and not sidelined.
“We must help to rid the ANC of criminal elements if it is to be saved.
“We must continue to support the SACP. Its voice is critical now more than ever. The left axis of the alliance must be strengthened.
“Workers sent a clear message to the ANC in the local elections.
“If the ANC does not get its act together, deliver quality public services, tackle corruption, fix Eskom, save Metro Rail and Transnet, grow the economy, create jobs and provide relief for the unemployed; then we will face a repeat of the disastrous 2021 election results in 2024,” Losi said.
She said that was something that workers could not afford, adding that winning the 2024 elections was not about securing jobs for comrades in Parliament.
“It is about defending the hard-won victories and rights of workers. We cannot afford to fail.
“A government led by the opposition parties will spell the end of the many victories workers have achieved. A coalition led by the ANC will struggle to deliver the demands of workers,” she said.
Pretoria News