Deputy+President+Jacob+Zuma+to+NUM+Congress+24+May+2006



=Address delivered by the Deputy President, Jacob Zuma, at the National Union of Mineworkers National Congress, 24 May 2006.=


 * The President of the NUM,**
 * Comrade Senzeni Zokwana,**
 * The General Secretary of the NUM, Gwede Mantashe,**
 * The President of COSATU, Comrade Willie Madisha, The entire leadership of the Alliance,**
 * Comrades delegates and members of the NUM,**
 * International guests,**
 * Comrades and friends,**

It is indeed a pleasure and a privilege for me to be with you today at this historic national congress of the National Union of Mineworkers.

Comrades, let me begin by saying that, we congratulate the NUM in the important step that it has taken of broadening up its membership and ensuring that it also includes the workers from the construction industry as part of its membership.

This is a positive and progressive step that needs to be applauded, it shows that the NUM is one of the politically advanced unions. It shows that NUM is a leader in coming out with innovative ways of strengthening the union.

We know the discussions will be heated and vibrant but they will be fruitful, they will be concerned with strategic direction and the vision of the union itself, the general state of the labour movement in our country, and definitely will chart a ground-breaking way forward for our country and our alliance.

We hope your deliberations during this conference will definitely propel our country to a better life for all especially in the life of the working masses of our country.

We know this because the workers of our country have always portrayed extreme courage and bravery in the face of trying circumstances.

When we meet here today we must celebrate the heroic struggles that all the workers of our country ever waged in every corner, village and town and for the betterment of their lives.

We pay a special tribute to the workers of our country who were pioneers in our struggle showing the way through new forms of struggle which were unfamiliar to our people and our movement at the time.

The workers showed the way during the strike of the dockworkers in Cape Town, to the strike by municipal workers in the Rand and the most importantly, the African miners strike which took place in 1919 where over 70 000 mine workers went on strike.

That was not the last time the mineworkers were to lead and play a significant and historic role. We remember this because historically, the NUM – and its predecessor the African Mineworkers Union – have always made decisive contributions in the history of our country and at every historical epoch of our struggle.


 * They showed leadership again during the historic mineworkers strike of 1946 under the revolutionary leadership of JB Marks, Thabo Mafutsanyana, JJ Majoro, Moses Kotane, TW Thibedi and others, when over 50 000 miners downed their tools in their fight for a better wage.
 * On an occasion such as this one (the conference of the NUM) we also remember and salute the gallant struggles waged by our workers during the mine workers strike of 1946 where 12 of our workers fell as they struggled for better wages, their courage and determination inspired millions of other workers for generations to come, as they continue to inspire the present generation of miners.

Our country will not be where it is today without the contribution and sacrifices of those dedicated, selfless and committed workers. We therefore salute them and honour them in a special way.

This year also marks the 21st Anniversary since the formation of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), that giant trade union federation, champion and leader of the workers struggle in our country, which was formed in 1985 at the height of apartheid oppression and in the midst of the State of Emergency.

Comrades the struggle for freedom in South Africa has been a long and hard one, gallantly fought by our people able led by their organisations in alliance with each other, the African National Congress at the centre the South African Communist Party and the progressive labour movement from SACTU to COSATU on both sides. The workers federation has always held a special place in the Tripartite Alliance.

Our history speaks of the workers movement history, a history that has been intertwined and interlinked with that of the liberation movement from the earliest times.

We also salute and honour the longstanding relationship and the revolutionary alliance that the workers movement of our country has built with the liberation movement. It has been a time-honoured relationship built on the foundations of the struggle, solidarity and common vision.

This relationship may have challenges today, but it is certainly capable of meeting these challenges, we must as a matter of principle build and nurture it so that future generations will benefit from it, we owe it to the fallen heroes of our trade union movement as well as the liberation movement and our revolutionary alliance to keep this alliance strong and healthy.

The first trade union that was ever formed in this country the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), in 1920 in Bloemfontein, was formed with the full blessing and support of the ANC.

The formation of the African Mine Workers Union in 1941 was also a milestone in the workers struggle of our country. Its formation had all the key alliance partners participating. T.W. Thibedi the first black member of the Communist Party contributed, together with J.B. Marks a veteran of both the ANC and the Communist Party played a central role, with Gaur Radebe who was the leader of the ANC as well, participating in the formation of this giant union.

We can never forget the role of trade unions in reviving our struggle during the 1972/1973 Durban strikes.

These strikes were to have a major impact towards the revival of internal mass resistance to apartheid in the 1970’s until the formation of the United Democratic Front and the Congress of South African Trade Unions in 1983 and 1985 respectively. Two years after the formation of COSATU, NUM was to hold one of the major strikes in our country, which shook the apartheid regime to the core and accelerated our path to freedom.

I am highlighting some elements of the origins of our relationship so that you can see that our unity over the years was not an accident of history, we have a bond that has been determined by a common history, in the common struggle.

As long as African people did not have a vote in South Africa, the victories that the workers would score at factory floor would remain meaningless. It was this understanding which propelled the liberation movement to work with the workers movement so closely. That is why today with freedom in our hands we have to continue to defend and protect the victories that have been scored by the workers. There is no better place to do that than within a strong and vibrant alliance.

The greatest challenge that faces our alliance today is whether we are able to sustain and consolidate the advances that our forebears made for us.

Can we strengthen this alliance on the same principles that it was founded and ensure that it takes our struggle forward as we try to build a better life for all and to reverse the legacy of apartheid and of poverty.

Much has been said about the positive developments in our country, the growing economy, the improved ratings being given our country by international rating agencies, our continued presence and participation in the international arena.

The economic outlook is good, South Africa is now firmly entrenched as a desirable investment destination and gateway into Africa. Various sectors of our economy are showing good growth and projections are good for the country in general.

In the middle of these positive developments which we are so proud of sits the intractable problem of unemployment of a huge section of our society and an endemic lack of skills that would allow more South Africans to become active participants in the growing South Africa economy.

We see industrial action becoming more frequent and increasingly confrontational. What are we doing wrong as a country? We see a continuing trend of the creation of ghost towns where mines have closed down and business has moved on. Whole settlements are left desolate as a result.

In the new dispensation we have identified the need to use our natural resources for the benefit of all South Africans. To this end we have spoken about ensuring that our natural resources do not leave our country in **wholesale fashion** to be brought back in as finished products which we must consume. It is in this context that our mineral-beneficiation capacity must be built and strengthened.

We have spoken extensively about the need to add value to these resources such that more benefit may be realized out of their sale to the outside world.

Given the measurements put in place to redress past economic inadequacies, one would be happy to see mine operators having as part of their empowerment requirements the responsibility for enterprise development in the areas where they operate.

The empowerment model that allows the few who are able to buy shares to be the only active participants in the economy amongst the historically disadvantaged of our country cannot be sustained. Our empowerment model must include diversification elements and must be mass based driven and benefit whole communities, as opposed to a few individuals.

Broad empowerment of the communities where natural resources are harvested is critical to ensure that these communities remain viable long after big business has moved on.

Mining operators should have the option to focus their energies on activities such as enterprise development, through which sustainable community based enterprises could be nurtured, based on best practices from the mining conglomerates.

The transformation generally being pursued by business has its place in achieving redress, however more needs to be done if we are to achieve the broad type of empowerment that we aspire to.

South Africa is unique in the manner in which organized business, organized labour and government are able to sit around the table and address issues of concern.

The space that has been created by our democracy must be protected and defended, we must find a way of strengthening the hand of the workers in these important forums to meaningfully shape and influence policy.

Coupled with this is the role of the alliance, which is supposed to help avoid situations where workers feel powerless and disempowered in such forums. The alliance must serve as a balancing factor to ensure that the interests of the weak and poor are taken into account at all times.

Many people fail to understand the robust debate that happens within the alliance. The opposition is unable to offer meaningful debate on key policy issues in the country. It is only within the alliance where such debates take place. Given this kind of debate, some will then think that there is an unhealthy relationship within the alliance, thus failing to understand and ending up misinterpreting the debate.

The alliance therefore is not important for its sake but for the greater society for the role that it plays in balancing the interests between the poor and the haves, and the economic interests. Work has been done identifying the divided nature of our economy, which has been referred to as – a two tier economy – the First and the Second Economy.

The alliance has to be sensitive to developments in the country which naturally might begin to manifest differing views. It is the alliance that must continue to promote healthy debate as one of the leading forces of the country, which will help us to defend our democracy.

In this context, I would want to make it very clear that there is no crisis in the ruling party as some are beginning to claim. Historically the ANC has always managed to confront challenges and overcome them and continue to lead, despite what the commentators and political analysts always say about our organization.

What people always miss with regard to our movement, is that the ANC is not about individuals but is about itself as an organization. The ANC is bigger than individuals because it is rooted in its deep traditions and principles and amongst the people who play a key part in shaping its life and direction.

I’m saying this because for a number of years now the emphasis of opinion makers seek to portray the organization as if policies and its very existence and survival can be determined by the opinions of these individuals.

The ANC, as a 94 year old organization has survived because of its nature, and is not about to compromise its strength in collectivism simply because of the barrage of the so-called expertise on the organization emanating from the commentators and opinion makers, who pretend to know the ANC better than it knows itself. We should not allow ourselves to be influenced by such commentators and analysts.

The ANC of Dube, Gumede, Seme, Luthuli, Tambo and others, will live long after each one of us is gone because of the legacy upon which it is built, which gives it its unique characteristics and strength.

The reason I am raising these issues here is because I believe many people fail to appreciate the relationship between the organized workers’ movement and the ANC, and yet one of its most outstanding presidents, the late Chief A.J. Luthuli summarized this relationship in the most apt manner, **that one is the shield and the other, is the spear.**As workers, and as disciplined members of the alliance, you will do well to remember this and be guided by the words of Chief Luthuli.

We urge you therefore not to allow yourselves to be confused by the noises being made by many so called experts and commentators. It is important that you keep your eyes firmly on the important issues pertaining to our democracy.

NUM therefore should continue to play its crucial role as part of the Alliance through COSATU. It must continue to lead the way in being a union that is better organized so that it can lead its members well.

The demands for better working conditions that the mineworkers went on strike for, 60 years ago during the 1946 Mineworkers strike some of them are still relevant even today, including the struggle for better wages, **40 hour working week**, better housing, today they also include today issues of skills development and access to better health care and a challenge of single sex hostels. We are confident that the capable leadership and membership of NUM will be equal to these challenges.


 * Off the cuff remarks:** Lastly comrades, I would like to Congratulate the outgoing General Secretary of the NUM Comrade Gwede Mantashe for his outstanding role in the NUM and wish him well for the future, he has contributed enormously to the life of the NUM and also the NUM contributed to him by developing him both politically and personally.

The fact that Comrade Mantashe and others are leaving opens vacancies in the executive. When you are going about filling these positions you must guard against canvassing along tribal and ethnic lines.

I believe that tribalism and ethnicity have no place at the factory floor and workers understand this better than anyone else, they are the most advanced when it comes to understanding these issues since at a factory floor they are united along their class lines as workers, their exploitation is felt by them most crudely as workers and not as members of a certain ethnic group. I therefore would like to warn you most profoundly not to fall in the tribal and ethnic trap when you elect your new leaders.

Ethnicity has no place in the trade union movement, our Tripartite Alliance and indeed in the entire liberation movement, in that respect we are always guided by the words uttered by our founding father Pixley ka Isaka Seme in 1912, and the founders of our organisation who sought to unite the African people with the slogan //“Mzulu, Msuthu, Mxhosa Hlanganani’//’, calling on all language groups to unite.

I wish you well as you embark in one of the historic congresses in the history of your union.


 * Viva JB Marks !! Viva!!**
 * Viva Moses Kotane !! Viva!!**
 * Viva Moses Mabhida !!**
 * Viva!! Viva Elijah Barayi!! Viva!!**
 * Amandla!! Awethu!!**

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