Numsa brass want to drop ANC for own new party
Metalworkers’ union will take crunch decision at congress this month
LEADERS of trade union federation Cosatu’s largest affiliate, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, want their members to support a breakaway from the ANC-led alliance and the creation of an independent political party.
Karl Cloete, deputy general secretary of Numsa, confirmed in an interview this week that the union’s leaders would propose the launch of a new party when the union holds a special congress in two weeks.
Although the new party was not likely to contest next year’s elections, Numsa’s breakaway from the alliance would hurt the ruling party’s election campaign and further weaken Cosatu.
As the largest Cosatu affiliate, Numsa contributes R800 000 a month to it in subscription fees.
The union had initially budgeted R3-million for the ANC’s 2014 election campaign. The figure excludes the accommodation and travel expenses of thousands of Numsa activists who would have helped as volunteers during door-to-door vote canvassing.
Although speculation has been rife that the union wanted out of the alliance, its leaders have sought to downplay the threat, saying it was only one of many options that the special congress would consider.
But Cloete told the Sunday Times that the union’s leaders would propose to the delegates that a newparty be formed based on the principles of the Freedom Charter — the ANC’s basic policy document, which they believe has been “betrayed” by President Jacob Zuma’s administration.
“We would want to see a movement of different organisations that want the immediate implementation of the Freedom Charter,” Cloete said.
“That is what we need as a first point of call. Those who agree with that programme will have to join in that struggle to ensure that we get the implementation of the Freedom Charter.”
If the proposal is adopted at the special congress, Numsa would persuade other Cosatu affiliates to join it — failing which, it would go it alone.
Cosatu is split over the suspension of its general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi. Numsa leads a group of unions that want Vavi reinstated, saying he was suspended by Cosatu leaders who wanted to turn Cosatu into a “lapdog” of the ANC and the government.
Cloete said Numsa had lost hope in the Zuma-led ANC following its adoption of a “neo-liberal” National Development Plan, the government’s support for the controversial e-tolling system in Gauteng, and its refusal to
Those who agree will have to join in to ensure that we get implementation of the Freedom Charter
ban labour brokers.
“Since 1994, Numsa has used its resources, human and financial and everything we have, to assist the ANC campaign,” he said.
“We must ask the question whether we’ll do that and the congress must answer that based on the facts we’ll place before [it].
“Do we provide resources in the face of anti-working-class policies being implemented? Do we support the ANC if its manifesto has the National Development Plan as its platform?”
Cloete said those who wanted a party faithful to the principles of the Freedom Charter had to organise themselves to achieve it.
He said the special congress would be asked to give the Numsa leadership a mandate to conduct a study of how worker-based political parties have functioned in other parts of the world.
Another senior Numsa leader said he was confident that the proposal to form a new party would be endorsed by the delegates. “The decision to form a vanguard party is likely to emerge at the congress,” he said.
But a Numsa leader who is opposed to the idea said the union had taken the decision because it realised that it had lost the battle to control Cosatu.
“This is just aimed at finding a political home for Vavi,” this leader said.
Divisions in Numsa over a possible split from the alliance reached crisis point this week when its president, Cedric Gina, resigned, citing differences with Cloete and general secretary Irvin Jim.