Booing shows Cosatu is on the wane

THE booing of President Cyril Ramaphosa at the national May Day rally in Rustenburg is further proof that Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) is no longer a formidable and influential voice of the working class.

On Sunday, Ramaphosa was forced to abandon the national May Day rally, organised by Cosatu in Rustenburg, after angry Sibanye-Stillwater workers disrupted the proceedings and refused to allow him to speak.

The National Union of Mineworkers and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union – the two biggest unions in the mining sector in South Africa – have demanded a pay increase of R1 000 a month over the next three years. However, Sibanye chief executive Neal Froneman said the company would not be revising its final offer, as it could not sustain higher increases.

Cosatu’s waning fortunes were on full display at the rally when angry workers refused to allow Ramaphosa to speak.

The inability of the union leadership to negotiate favourable terms for the workers and the failure of the current government to improve the workers’ living conditions, through the payment of a living wage, was at the heart of the ugly scenes at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Sunday.

Truth be told, Cosatu is no longer the trusted mouthpiece of the workers that it used to be, hence its inability to win decisive boardroom negotiations.

It should also be remembered that Ramaphosa’s ascendancy to power was, in no small part, due to the backing of Cosatu and the SACP. That the rank and file of Cosatu were now participating in the public humiliation of the president was a clear indication they have lost confidence in a Ramaphosa-led government to change their fortunes.

The loss of confidence also extends to Cosatu leaders who are supposed to represent the interests of the workers in Parliament, including leaders such as Labour and Employment Minister Thulas Nxesi.

To the workers, the hope they had that these leaders would be able to influence government policy has faded. They have finally realised that these leaders have been absorbed and assimilated into the ANC’s pro-capitalist policies that see workers as nothing else but commodities that should be exploited to maximise profits.