Cosatu pressured over ANC succession stance
CONGRESS of South African Trade Union (Cosatu) affiliates are piling pressure on the mother body to pronounce its position on ANC succession, with its largest industrial union, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Monday backing Cyril Ramaphosa to lead the party post-2017.
The federation’s central executive committee meeting last week did not make a call on its preferred leader despite the fact that most of its affiliates wanted it to endorse Ramaphosa. But it was agreed at the meeting that they could proceed individually.
While Cosatu has no voting rights in the ANC, its voice is crucial, as most of its members are also members of the governing party.
The federation is the third leg in the tripartite alliance with the ANC and the South African Communist party.
Business Day understands that the clash in Cosatu mirrors that in the governing party — some unions and leaders openly support a faction close to President Jacob Zuma and others oppose this group.
At least five of the federation’s main unions expressed disappointment in Cosatu’s decision last week not to support Ramaphosa. The NUM was the first to make its
position known after its meeting on Monday. The South African Democratic Teachers Union and the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union are expected to follow suit. Police union Popcru is also expected to make its views known after a meeting of its national executive committee — its structures are also pushing for the union to endorse Ramaphosa.
Unions opposed to Ramaphosa include the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union and chemical workers’ union Ceppwawu. Other unions were still unsure.
NUM general secretary David Sipunzi said workers had a “vested interest” in who leads the ANC. He took a swipe at those who thought that they alone had a “right to lobby”. This was a veiled reference to structures within the socalled premier league grouping — which include the ANC chairmen of Mpumalanga, the Free State and the North West, supported by the ANC leadership in KwaZulu-Natal, the ANC Youth League and the ANC Women’s League. They are said to be backing AU Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to take over the leadership of the party, with Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza as her deputy.
The NUM’s decision to support Ramaphosa was not based on ANC tradition only, in terms of which the party deputy president succeeded the incumbent, but also took into account “his suitability for the post”.
Said Sipunzi: “We firmly believe that debates on this issue should be organisational and people must stop swearing at others, as that only serves to show how intolerant we are.” Ramaphosa is a founding leader of the NUM.
Sipunzi said the ANC had performed “very badly” in the 2016 local elections and called on the party to “deal decisively” with the causes of its electoral decline. It is understood the NUM leadership was among those who spoke out against Zuma at Cosatu’s central executive committee meeting in August.
The NUM’s position was announced ahead of an ANC national executive committee meeting due to start on Friday. The party is expected to receive feedback from its structures on its decline in the 2016 local polls.