COSATU+seeks+pro-poor+ANC,+Brown+and+Musgrave,+B+Day

Business Day, Johannesburg, 30 August 2006
=Cosatu pours cold water on SACP split from ANC=


 * Karima Brown and Amy Musgrave**


 * //Federation will seek a ‘pro-poor’ leadership of ruling party//**

THE Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) will not support a South African Communist Party (SACP) breakaway from the tripartite alliance. Rather, it will work towards a new-look, “pro-poor” African National Congress (ANC) leadership to lead the party after President Thabo Mbeki steps down from the ANC presidency next year.

Cosatu’s stance is likely to deal a heavy blow to those in the SACP pushing for the party to abandon its partnership with the ANC and field candidates to oppose the ruling party in future elections.

The future of the tripartite alliance will come under scrutiny at Cosatu’s congress next month.

Cosatu secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi said yesterday there was no appetite among Cosatu members for a split in the ANC-led alliance, despite tensions over the fate of ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma and government’s perceived marginalisation of the trade union federation in policy- and decision-making.

“Cosatu should capture the leadership of the ANC and steer it away from business and the middle classes. We need a massive reconstruction programme in the ANC,” Vavi said in an interview.

His stance appears to be backed by the findings of a major survey of workers’ opinions of the alliance, conducted by Cosatu think tank Naledi late last year.

The survey, to be released today, finds that more than half of Cosatu members would prefer the federation stay out of party politics altogether in the event of an alliance split, suggesting most Cosatu members do not want to see the federation choosing between its two allies.

However, the survey also found that most Cosatu members did not believe the ANC had delivered on its promises. Asked whether they felt the ANC had honoured its promises to workers, more than half of respondents said no. A third of workers surveyed said the ruling party had not delivered “at all”, while one-fifth said the ANC had “not entirely” delivered. This view was held by 46% of Cosatu members surveyed, 53% of non-Cosatu members, and 55% of unorganised workers.

Despite the findings, 60% of workers still indicated a willingness to vote for the ANC, largely because of historical loyalties.

“Most Cosatu workers argue that they vote for the ANC because their family has always supported it (43%). Only 19% of Cosatu workers say they chose the ANC because it has the best policies for workers or the poor,” says the survey.

The survey found workers almost evenly split between support for Zuma and Mbeki.

Former president Nelson Mandela got the backing of 33% of workers as their “most important leader”.

Only 11% chose Mbeki, with Zuma marginally ahead at 13%.

Factional disagreements centred on the top two ANC leaders have split opinion in the alliance, and Cosatu has not escaped the internal divisions. Recent media reports have suggested a wedge exists between Vavi and Cosatu president Willie Madisha over the issue. Vavi would not comment on the reports yesterday.

Cosatu last year called for Zuma to be reinstated as deputy president and for corruption charges against him to be dropped.


 * From: http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/topstories.aspx?ID=BD4A260089**

537 words