CONGRESS of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi would be expected to campaign for the African National Congress (ANC) and has never said he would not do so, the federation said on Wednesday.
The contradictions in the ANC-brokered peace process to resolve the factional battle within its alliance partner are showing.
Mr Vavi is in a tight spot. He has been critical of President Jacob Zuma’s administration, which led to his stance being labelled "oppositionist".
The ANC intervened in a Cosatu meeting last week, halting a possible second suspension of Mr Vavi after he won his case for reinstatement.
"He has said Cosatu supports the ANC … and he has never expressed a view that he would not campaign for the ANC," Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini said on Wednesday at a media briefing with the South African Communist Party (SACP).
Those who sought to kick Mr Vavi out of the federation said this stance was at odds with that of Cosatu. Now that Mr Vavi is back in the fold, he is expected to toe the line by virtue of his position as general secretary.
A further complication is that his staunchest backer in the fight, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), has decided not to campaign for the ANC.
"We condemn any insinuation that if he campaigns for the ANC, he will be dumped," Mr Dlamini said in reference to reports which indicated Numsa had warned Mr Vavi that should he campaign for the ANC, he would be doing so at his peril.
Mr Vavi had told Mr Dlamini that a meeting was held with Numsa, and the union had distanced itself from the reports.
"I will defend my general secretary," said Mr Dlamini, who was seen as part of the faction that opposed Mr Vavi. "We hold him to his word … he will be deployed in upcoming activities."
Mr Vavi was back in his post and had participated in a meeting between Cosatu and the SACP over the past three days. He did not attend the media briefing afterwards as he was "not well". Mr Vavi’s spokesman, John Dludlu, confirmed he was unwell but declined to comment on Mr Dlamini’s pronouncements.
SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande said the party supported the ANC’s intervention to aid Cosatu. However, Mr Nzimande said this unity should not be "mechanical".
"We cannot forge unity with people who no longer believe they are part of our organisation, but this does not mean we will not pursue the unity of the federation by any means possible," he said, referring to Numsa, which took far-reaching decisions at its special national congress in December. These included a resolution to form a united front because the time to find an alternative to the alliance had arrived.
The joint statement from Cosatu and the SACP included the reasons why the organisations should continue to support the ANC, listing a number of government policies, including subsidies for the car sector.
"These are just some of the many reasons why we are calling on workers to unite, to close ranks, and vote for the ANC," Cosatu deputy general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said.
"But our support is not a blank cheque … we know from experience that ensuring the implementation of a progressive electoral mandate requires both ongoing support and vigilant, at times critical, engagement by the organised formations of the working class," he said.
Cosatu and the SACP came out strongly against the "vote no" campaign endorsed by former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils and former deputy health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge. Mr Nzimande said Mr Kasrils’s position was not a "principled" one.
"If Ronnie Kasrils was principled, why did he not walk out at the height of AIDS denialism?" he asked.
Mr Kasrils is a former SACP leader, whom Mr Nzimande described as a "factory fault".
The campaign, outlined by Mr Kasrils on Tuesday, urges people to spoil their ballots or vote "tactically" for a small party — not the Democratic Alliance — in "protest" against the direction the ANC was charting.
Zwelinzima Vavi. Picture: PUXLEY MAKGATHO
CONGRESS of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi would be expected to campaign for the African National Congress (ANC) and has never said he would not do so, the federation said on Wednesday.
The contradictions in the ANC-brokered peace process to resolve the factional battle within its alliance partner are showing.
Mr Vavi is in a tight spot. He has been critical of President Jacob Zuma’s administration, which led to his stance being labelled "oppositionist".
The ANC intervened in a Cosatu meeting last week, halting a possible second suspension of Mr Vavi after he won his case for reinstatement.
"He has said Cosatu supports the ANC … and he has never expressed a view that he would not campaign for the ANC," Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini said on Wednesday at a media briefing with the South African Communist Party (SACP).
Those who sought to kick Mr Vavi out of the federation said this stance was at odds with that of Cosatu. Now that Mr Vavi is back in the fold, he is expected to toe the line by virtue of his position as general secretary.
A further complication is that his staunchest backer in the fight, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), has decided not to campaign for the ANC.
"We condemn any insinuation that if he campaigns for the ANC, he will be dumped," Mr Dlamini said in reference to reports which indicated Numsa had warned Mr Vavi that should he campaign for the ANC, he would be doing so at his peril.
Mr Vavi had told Mr Dlamini that a meeting was held with Numsa, and the union had distanced itself from the reports.
"I will defend my general secretary," said Mr Dlamini, who was seen as part of the faction that opposed Mr Vavi. "We hold him to his word … he will be deployed in upcoming activities."
Mr Vavi was back in his post and had participated in a meeting between Cosatu and the SACP over the past three days. He did not attend the media briefing afterwards as he was "not well". Mr Vavi’s spokesman, John Dludlu, confirmed he was unwell but declined to comment on Mr Dlamini’s pronouncements.
SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande said the party supported the ANC’s intervention to aid Cosatu. However, Mr Nzimande said this unity should not be "mechanical".
"We cannot forge unity with people who no longer believe they are part of our organisation, but this does not mean we will not pursue the unity of the federation by any means possible," he said, referring to Numsa, which took far-reaching decisions at its special national congress in December. These included a resolution to form a united front because the time to find an alternative to the alliance had arrived.
The joint statement from Cosatu and the SACP included the reasons why the organisations should continue to support the ANC, listing a number of government policies, including subsidies for the car sector.
"These are just some of the many reasons why we are calling on workers to unite, to close ranks, and vote for the ANC," Cosatu deputy general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said.
"But our support is not a blank cheque … we know from experience that ensuring the implementation of a progressive electoral mandate requires both ongoing support and vigilant, at times critical, engagement by the organised formations of the working class," he said.
Cosatu and the SACP came out strongly against the "vote no" campaign endorsed by former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils and former deputy health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge. Mr Nzimande said Mr Kasrils’s position was not a "principled" one.
"If Ronnie Kasrils was principled, why did he not walk out at the height of AIDS denialism?" he asked.
Mr Kasrils is a former SACP leader, whom Mr Nzimande described as a "factory fault".
The campaign, outlined by Mr Kasrils on Tuesday, urges people to spoil their ballots or vote "tactically" for a small party — not the Democratic Alliance — in "protest" against the direction the ANC was charting.
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