Now+COSATU+slams+Dyantyi,+Essop+and+Dentlinger,+IOL

Independent On Line, 26 September
=Now Cosatu slams Dyantyi=


 * By Phida Essop and Lindsay Dentlinger**

Alliance partner Cosatu has added its weight to attacks on the ANC move to strip Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille of her powers, denouncing it as bad for democracy and saying it raised questions about the party's motives.

The union federation is due to meet the provincial leadership of the party today to discuss the controversial move.

The ANC's intention to change the municipal structure in Cape Town raised "ethical questions" and "left a bad taste in the mouth", Cosatu's provincial secretary, Tony Ehrenreich, said on Monday.

He described the proposed move as bad for democracy and criticised the ANC for not consulting Cosatu.

Ehrenreich's comments follow weekend reports that the SA Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) had expressed concern about the plan by Local Government and Housing MEC Richard Dyantyi to switch from the mayoral executive system to the collective executive system. This would leave Zille a powerless figurehead

Ehrenreich said: "When decisions like these are taken - which is clearly very strategic - they must consult with us, because it does raise many questions around our constituency: the workers.

"Everywhere else in the country the ANC uses the executive mayoral system. Only here in Cape Town, where they are not in power, they want to change it.

"It raises ethical questions about their reasons for this. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth. There are just too many implications, which call for coherent discussions with the ANC."

Dyantyi's plan has caused an uproar among the public and opposition circles, although it has the support of the ID, which has allied itself to the ANC in the council.

Ehrenreich said the ANC should not make such "drastic decisions" without consulting the alliance partners.

"There have been no consultations. That is worrying and less than ideal. There is a meeting scheduled for (today) to discuss the decision with the ANC and find out what their reasons are."

At the same time, the Aids lobby group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), also denounced the move, and the SA Local Government Association (Salga) sought a meeting with Dyantyi, arguing that service delivery in the city was paramount.

The TAC issued a statement saying Dyantyi's decision would cause further racial polarisation in the province.

Cosatu is due to have a provincial congress on Saturday. "We will discuss this matter in detail and consider the views of all the unions," Ehrenreich said.

Although the matter was up for discussion at the weekend, it supported the views of Sactwu "in principle".

Sactwu said earlier that it had been taken by surprise by this "unilateral announcement".

"Our initial response is that this unilateral announcement is bad for democracy and hence against the legitimate interests of the workers and the community at large," the union said.

Ehrenreich also pointed to the fact that Cosatu found itself in a dilemma because it had traditionally supported calls for a coalition that included all the main political parties.

"The big parties should be included in a coalition, especially given the divided nature of Cape Town along racial lines, because if you do not, Africans and others are excluded," Ehrenreich said.

"This does not bode well for nation-building.

"That is why, when the former DP and NP formed a coalition government in the province a few years back, excluding the ANC, we did not support it," he said.

"That was a principled position that would have a bearing on what is happening in the City of Cape Town now."

Meanwhile Salga chairperson Sicelo Mxolose said on Monday that it wanted to consult Dyantyi before taking a position.

Mxolose said the organisation did not want to get involved in the political debate and its key concern was public service delivery.

By Monday neither Salga nor the City of Cape Town had received notice of when Dyantyi would either discuss his intentions, outlined in letters to them a week ago.

Dyantyi had said in his letter that he planned to begin consultations within a week of the date of his letter. His office could not be contacted on Monday.

Salga's provincial executive met on Friday, but Mxolose said the forum was used to inform members of Dyantyi's intentions, as many had not seen the letter.

"We first want to understand his thinking about this whole thing," Mxolose said.

"We don't want to get involved in the politics.

"Our key mandate is service delivery to the community."

Earlier the TAC described Dyantyi's intention as an "at-tempt to destroy the DA-led majority council" and said it would lead to further racial polarisation.

"This move is wrong and regrettable in substance and form," the TAC said. "In substance, the ANC Western Cape's attempt at a power grab undermines the constitution, the rule of law and the ANC's commitment to democracy and majority rule."


 * philda.essop@inl.co.za**
 * lindsay.dentlinger@inl.co.za**


 * From:** **http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=6&art_id=vn20060926141513484C874213**