Collapse of event a ‘wake-up call’ for SA
DEEP divisions within the ruling alliance movement spilled over to the main May Day event, where President Jacob Zuma was publicly booed, mocked and jeered, in scenes reminiscent of Nelson Mandela’s memorial service threeand-a-half years ago.
Stunned alliance leaders agreed afterwards that the “embarrassing collapse” of the national Workers’ Day event should serve as a “final wake-up call” that all was not well in the country.
Zuma endured more than 30 minutes of jeers and booing by Cosatu members and supporters as he sat sandwiched between Cosatu president S’dumo Dlamini and SACP leader Blade Nzimande at the Loch Logan Park in Bloemfontein yesterday.
This is the second time Zuma had been publicly booed by the people. The nation cringed when he was booed in front of world leaders, including former US president Barack Obama, during Mandela’s national memorial service at FNB Stadium in Joburg in December 2013.
However, the Free State province led by ANC provincial chairperson and Premier Ace Magashule closed ranks and said those who had “collapsed” the rally were not from the province and had been bused in from Kimberley.
When it became clear that no speaker would be allowed to speak at the rally, the Cosatu leadership called the event off, and Zuma was whisked away.
“I’m extremely saddened, I think the entire leadership of our alliance should be saddened. It’s the lowest point in my own history as being part of this alliance. I didn’t think it would come to this. But I don’t think we should despair;we must use this as the final wake-up call, not for the sake of our organisation, but for the sake of our own country,” said Nzimande.
The Higher Education Minister continued: “We cannot go down in history as a generation of leaders who allowed the alliance to actually split in our own hands, because history will judge us very harshly.”
He said the SACP would analyse what had happened: “As the SACP we are relatively clear about what needs to be done, that at the very top level, we need to start a very huge effort, a crusade if you like, to unite our structures. And we know where the problems are, it’s not like we do not know.
“We know the problems of factions and who is in what faction. We must just get an effort to get everybody out of the hole where they are in, to actually say we risk losing this country and we will do a huge injustice to the people of this country, the majority of whom still have lots of confidence and hope in this alliance,” said Nzimande.
The SACP, Cosatu and the SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) had all called on Zuma to step down. However, Magashule dismissed the disruptions as “mob psychology”, although he admitted that the congress movement leadership was divided right at the top.
“When the leadership is divided, they divide society, they divide membership.”
Magashule is viewed as part of a grouping within the ANC favouring former AU Commission chairperson Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
“What has happened today with people who are not residing in this province is an embarrassment to the celebration of May Day. When the leadership is divided at national level, it clearly shows they are dividing membership on the ground.”
ANC spokesperson Thabo Meeko said those who had disrupted the event “can never be workers from our province”.
Meeko said they had been “briefed” that the majority of those who carried out the disruptions “have been bused from Kimberley”.
Sanco deputy president Mathabo Leeto said they were “very much disappointed” the event had collapsed because of whom she described as “unruly workers”.
Zuma’s booing came after some of Cosatu’s largest affiliates, including Nehawu, Sadtu and Sadtu demanded that the president should not attend and address the rally.
Cosatu boss Dlamini described yesterday’s events as “unfortunate”.
“This calls for all of us as the leadership to go back, sit down and reflect, and say how do we deal with the challenges confronting us,” he said.
“This matter is not purely about individuals, it’s about where the revolution is and how it should proceed. It is sad that this May Day had to collapse. We wanted to address workers on Workers’ Day issues, this didn’t happen,” he said.