Mantashe booed off stage at Cosatu event
COSATU members yesterday booed ANC national chairperson and Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe off the stage in a clear protest against the government’s rejection of salary increases for public workers.
Mantashe was due to deliver the ANC’s message of support at the 14th Cosatu national elective conference. However, he was met by angry workers who sang and told Mantashe to go away as they did not have money.
The workers started singing Asi- namali, to the surprise of their top leadership, including the re-elected president Zingiswa Losi.
Cosatu leaders could not contain the anger of its members, which resulted in them rejecting Mantashe, who did not deliver his message. Other Cosatu members even offered to escort him out of the conference venue.
One of the angry members told Mantashe: “We love the ANC, but we are disappointed by its leaders who do not care about the welfare of workers.”
Due to the pandemonium, delegates were told to go for lunch as tensions grew about the presence of Mantashe and his ANC delegation, including Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu, Human Settlements Mmamoloko Kubayi and Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environmental Affairs Barbara Creecy.
One of the angry delegates was Kagiso Tsiane of the South African Municipal Workers Union in the Free State.
Tsiane said the tripartite alliance was not helping them as Cosatu, saying: “The ANC no longer takes us seriously. It is not personal to Gwede, we are not going to allow anyone from the ANC to address this conference.
“We are sending the ANC a message that we are taking matters into our own hands and that the reconfiguration of the alliance must happen now,” Tsiane said.
Protecting Mantashe, Zulu barred the media from speaking to him and also urged Cosatu members not to show their displeasure at the ANC in front of the media.
“Let us address outside. Let us not showcase our problems in front of the media,” Zulu said.
Despite the hostile reception, Mantashe was adamant that he would address the conference, but Cosatu members were resolute that the ANC would not address them as delegates.
Delivering the opening address before being elected unopposed, Losi appeared to show support to the ANC amid growing discontent among her members.
“It is not by accident that Cosatu and its predecessor, the South African Congress of Trade Unions, have been part of the alliance. Workers deliberated on joining the alliance at length.
“The alliance, like any marriage, has its ups and downs. However, with all its challenges, it remains the best vehicle to advance the struggles of workers.
“The ANC and the SACP, with all of their challenges, their strengths and weaknesses, remain the most progressive and relevant political formations to drive the demands of the working class.
“Let us not be fooled by the peace time slogans of the opposition parties. They were nowhere to be seen when workers had to go on strike in Durban in 1973 or when Cosatu House was bombed in 1987, nor were they to be seen when the United Democratic Front was banned,” she said.
“These very same opposition parties have consistently voted against our progressive labour laws in Parliament. They have promised to repeal them if they are elected to government.
“They have stated unambiguously that they will scrap the minimum wage, end collective bargaining, remove protections from unfair dismissals, slash the salaries of and retrench public servants, and sell all our state-owned enterprises.
“The ANC is not perfect. It has made serious mistakes. It is battling to cleanse itself of the demons of corruption and factionalism. It is contested by various class forces.
“Yet it has stood with Cosatu when we demanded the constitutional enshrinement of workers’ rights, the passing of our labour laws and our many other progressive laws,” Losi said.