DA ‘uses parly to defeat the ANC’
COSATU WANTS A GOVT THAT UNITES SA Union federation president warns: DA seeks election victory in 2019.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is using parliament to advance its plan to have the ANC removed from power, the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) said yesterday.
“It is no surprise that the DA wants early elections, they recently introduced a motion of no confidence against the president. Their target is ultimately to see the ANC removed from power … I am sure there will be another debate from the DA with the same aim after this latest one,” Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini told reporters in Johannesburg, after the federation’s central committee meeting.
“It is their right to do so, South Africans are watching. We have elections in 2019, the DA is campaigning and if people ignore that, they would be doing that at their own peril. The DA is campaigning to win the 2019 elections and it is using parliament to advance their wish.”
The DA has tabled a motion in the National Assembly calling for early elections. MPs are set to debate the motion on Tuesday.
The DA announced the motion on August 9, the day after an opposition motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma failed to pass, but caused political fallout in the ruling party by drawing the support of a number of ANC MPs. At least 26 members of the party voted in favour of it in a secret ballot.
The latest motion was brought in terms of section 50(1) of the constitution, which allows for a simple majority decision to dissolve parliament and hold early elections.
Dlamini said there was no need “to be worried” by the DA’s latest efforts, as the party was exploiting the political dynamics and the weaknesses in the ANC. “They want to use these opportunities and ensure they win elections should early elections take place. Cosatu continues to call for a united ANC capable of uniting all South Africans. The ANC is our ally and should unite so that parties such as the DA do not continue to exploit opportunities,” he said.
The trade union federation has, along with the SA Communist Party, called for Zuma to step down, and went further to ban him from attending its events.
A nationwide strike by Cosatu against state capture, job losses and rampant corruption, both in the public and private sector, is scheduled to take place on September 27. – ANA
Latest motion aimed at dissolving parliament