Cosatu at the crossroads

THE CONGRESS of South African Trade Unions, once the muscle of the tripartite alliance, may have suffered a mortal blow in recent days following the formation of the rival South African Federation of Trade Unions.

Racked by defections that go all the way back to the rise of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union and the concomitant emasculation and decimation of the once mighty National Union of Mineworkers, today Cosatu is effectively not only the labour arm of the tripartite alliance, but the labour arm of the government, representing mostly public servants.

And even that has become problematic, with the key National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) publicly calling on President Jacob Zuma not to address the traditional workers’ festival of May Day.

Frantic backroom negotiations led to Zuma being officially invited by Cosatu president S’dumo Dlamini to deliver the keynote address at Cosatu’s national rally in Bloemfontein.

Except Zuma couldn’t. The workers wouldn’t let him.

Dlamini, who ignored his own members’ complaints that he was too close to the president after attending Zuma’s official 75th birthday party in Soweto last month, now finds himself exposed, stranded in a political no man’s land.

No president in recent times has been prevented from addressing a public gathering – especially not one where they were billed as the main speaker and particularly not in a province where the leadership is widely perceived to be in their camp.

It would appear that Zuma is fast running out of both allies and support bases, but this has been evident for months as the factionalism that has riven the ruling party continues to seethe and sporadically boil over.

The more pertinent question perhaps is where this leaves Cosatu. Dlamini had faced incredible resistance from his fellow union executives, yesterday – having got his way – he faced the implacable force of its members.

It would appear that the leaders of Cosatu are faced with a very stark choice today – either they rid themselves of Dlamini in order to retain their members, or they back Zuma and consign the movement to the dustbin of history.