COSATU+CEC+Media+statement+25+May+2006



=Media statement – COSATU CEC, May 2006=


 * //The Central Executive Committee of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, with representatives of all 21 affiliated unions, held a scheduled meeting from 24-26 May 2006. These are some of the main issues discussed at the meeting://**


 * 1 Resolutions**

The CEC adopted resolutions on the Jobs and Poverty Campaign and the security guards’ strike. We attach them as Annexure 1 to this statement.


 * 2** **Political situation**

The CEC received reports on the activities of the Alliance Secretariat. It analysed important new developments in the political arena, especially those relating to the Tripartite Alliance.

The CEC endorsed an analysis of the local government elections, which is also attached as Annexure 2. More importantly, it endorsed the call that the ANC should use the experiences of the local government elections, combined with the political lessons from the 2004 national elections and the ANC Secretary General’s report to the NGC last year, as the basis for a structured debate to address organisational and political weaknesses.

Only confronting these weaknesses brutally through a systematic organisational development process involving all members can save the ANC as a movement in the long run. This process should culminate in a report for consideration at the ANC’s up-coming policy conference and 2007 conference. Failure to act on glaring weaknesses would be costly in the long run.

The CEC welcomed the decision of the ANC NEC and NWC decision to initiate a process to investigate the authenticity of the emails implicating a number of ANC and government leaders in a campaign to discredit the ANC Deputy President, Jacob Zuma and the ANC Secretary General, Kgalema Motlanthe. It was agreed that if the emails are real then the movement is in deep trouble.

The CEC was addressed by the SACP General Secretary, who briefed the CEC about the main arguments of the SACP Central Committee paper. This paper could have not come at the better time for COSATU. COSATU is preparing for its Ninth National Congress in September this year. The CEC calls on all the members of the COSATU to engage the paper, which will be discussed at the Ninth National Congress.

The CEC agreed that the issues raised by the SACP are of a serious nature with serious consequences for each component of the Alliance. COSATU will not rush into taking a decision on all these matters without a thorough-going engagement with members. Our Congress provides a critical platform to gauge members’ attitudes on a range of issues and options raised in the paper. There may, however, be a need to debate these issues for more than the three months we have up to the Congress.

Following the discussion sparked by the paper as well as by the COSATU secretariat report, the CEC made the following observations.


 * The ANC is facing its worst crisis in years, with the Jacob Zuma matter as a symptom, not a cause. The crisis has been unfolding since 1996, when the government adopted neo-liberal policies without seeking to bring on board the ANC NEC itself, the Alliance, or the rest of the mass democratic movement.
 * Some leaders of the ANC are attempting to undermine the resolutions of the 2005 ANC NGC on a range of issues. There has been a sustained and deliberate strategy to pretend that the NGC did not reject suggestions to weaken workers’ protection under the labour laws. Similarly, a paper leaked recently by its authors to the Sunday Times proposes organisational modernisation in a form rejected in the NGC. In effect, leaders who disagreed with the NGC are using every possible means to overturn its decisions, including leaking supposedly internal documents.
 * A frightening culture has developed in the ANC of cutting corners and not only to ignore internal democratic processes but to be contemptuous of them. This culture leads to the use of leaks to the media to take forward individuals’ narrow agendas. It emerged, amongst others, in the leaking of a discussion document about the succession, even though the ANC’s NEC had categorically stated that time is not ripe for this debate.
 * The main concern of the CEC centres on signs that we may be drifting towards dictatorship. This appears in the use of state institutions in narrow factional fights. We see it in the use of sections of the media to assassinate the character of individuals through off-the-record briefings and the leaking of sensitive information in the hands of those charged to investigate crimes.

The CEC expressed concern about the combination of many processes to marginalize any opposition. Examples include the decision to pull a film said to be critical of the President off the SABC, the use of public institutions, including the NPA against Jacob Zuma, the purging of allegedly pro Zuma faction in the security services, the arrest of COSATU leaders at the Swaziland border and in Cape Town and the heavy handed nature of the police dealings with protests.

In the words of COSATU’s General Secretary: “Dictatorship never announces its arrival. It won’t, like drum majorettes, beat drums and parade down the streets to announce that it has arrived”.


 * The SACP discussion document does not raise new issues. Instead, it systematically collects the views of the SACP, COSATU and many others over many years. In particular, COSATU fully endorses the argument that some in the ANC have carefully and skilfully pursued a project to shift the ANC and the NDR from its radical character into a moderate, centre-left political party. The key feature of this strategy is low intensity democracy which includes marginalisation of the ANC mass base together with all formations of the mass democratic movement.
 * The CEC is not shocked by the open attempt of big business to influence the succession in the ANC. Equally we are not surprised that some of businesses have joined the tune that we now need a women President. The succession debate is closely related to the nature of the ANC and the NDR itself. Every class, even those who have historically sought to destroy the ANC, will seek to influence this discussion, using every means in its possession, from money to the media.
 * In this vein, the CEC was critical of the conduct of the ANC President in opening the debate whilst he presided over the NEC that condemned the ANCYL for opening the succession debate too early. It cannot be correct that others’ hands are tied by protocol while the President declares his own candidature and then consistently calls for a woman President in public instead of using the ANC structures. Equally it is wrong to mobilise non-ANC members to decide on who must be the next President, more so when the South African system lets the President be elected by the ANC rather than the whole electorate. It is the ANC that was elected by the citizens not any individual. Archbishop Tutu was brutally and rudely reminded that he was not an ANC member when he ventured to make comments about democracy in the ANC. Now, in contrast, everyone is being mobilised to decide on internal ANC matters.
 * In 2005, in a bilateral meeting, COSATU and the SACP reached the very important and historic conclusion that most of the economic benefits of the first decade of economic transformation were won by capital. This means that the NDR has not delivered where it most matters - to the poor. The SACP paper and the succession debate must be considered from this perspective. In itself, just electing a particular individual will not create more favourable conditions for the working class to benefit from economic transformation. We need a range of programmes and strategies, some of them highlighted in the SACP paper, to make the second decade of freedom a workers’ and the poor’s decade.


 * 3** **Court cases involving Comrade Jacob Zuma**

The CEC noted that Willem van der Merwe exonerated comrade Jacob Zuma. The CEC noted that the judge was critical of sections of the media and women’s lobby groups. The judge was also critical of both the complainant and comrade Jacob Zuma. The CEC welcomed the unconditional public apology by comrade Jacob Zuma for having sex without a condom whilst being fully aware of the HIV status of the person involved.

Throughout the trial, COSATU stood firm on its position that the rights of both the alleged victim and the accused should be equally protected and respected and did not waver on the constitutional principle of “innocent until proven otherwise.” We defended the democratic right and choice for those who were openly demonstrating support for either the accused or the alleged victim.

The CEC reiterated COSATU’s position that in relation to the coming corruption trial it would mobilise all its members to demonstrate //en masse// everywhere in the country including outside the court where the case would be heard in July. We remain of the view that the case itself forms part of a political conspiracy engineered in dark corners to frustrate comrade Jacob Zuma’s political career.


 * 4** **ANC NEC media briefing or alleged off-the-record briefing**

The CEC spent time discussing the ANC NEC media briefing which allegedly had aspects of being an off-the-record briefing. In particular we discussed the political implications of the allegations that a senior SABC personality was present making political statements mainly attacking COSATU in general and the COSATU General Secretary in particular, calling on the ANC to ‘isolate and neutralise’ him.

We have since written to the ANC Secretary General to ask if ANC had authorized the briefing and, if not, if any action would be taken against those responsible. We have also written to Dali Mpofu, head of the SABC, to demand that the SABC disassociate itself from the comments attributed to the SABC official and that if indeed any person from the SABC made those comments that she or he resign his or her position from the public broadcaster.

We are awaiting a response on both letters. The CEC will take this matter to the highest possible levels. No public broadcaster should be allowed to play a partisan role and form part of factions in our movement.


 * 5** **Broad-based BEE**

The CEC received a report on the current engagement at NEDLAC on the Codes of Good Conduct on Broad-Based BEE. The CEC demanded that broad-based BEE must do more to support employment creation, and in particular local procurement. Otherwise we risk replacing established local producers – and jobs - with new black-owned importers, at the cost of hundreds or even thousands of jobs. The labour movement cannot support BEE unless it genuinely empowers workers, above all by expanding opportunities for decent work.


 * 6** **ASGI-SA and JIPSA**

COSATU remains convinced that the proposals in ASGI-SA are far too narrow to bring about the social and economic transformation we need. Our initial response was spot-on and we are confident that historians will recognise that. Nonetheless, we have written to the Deputy President offering to interact to see if the gaps between COSATU and the government on ASGI-SA can be narrowed.

The JIPSA process was established under ASGI-SA to address the skills gap – a question that is crucial for workers. Unfortunately, only two COSATU representatives – Gwede Mantashe, the GS of NUM, who is chair, and Thulas Nxesi, the GS of SADTU – are members of JIPSA. Moreover, government has objected when they brought technical support from COSATU, although it has appointed a business grouping to act as Secretariat. This situation leaves labour lamentably under-represented, which could have serious consequences.

South Africa must develop a new mindset on training. We need to focus on the challenge of mass illiteracy and the 650 000 young people who leave school without matric every year. In these circumstances, turning just to imported skills could mean avoiding measures to solve this crisis. In addition, co-ordination between JIPSA initiatives and the SETAs must be secured.


 * 7 Recruitment campaign**

The CEC congratulated SACTWU, NUM, POPCRU and CEPPWAWU on their recruitment successes. Each of these unions has recruited over 10 000 members. Today COSATU’s membership as a whole stands at 1 757 667. Two out of three union members in South Africa belong to a COSATU affiliate.


 * 8 Soccer World Cup 2010**

The CEC welcomed the agreement on 27 March of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 2010 World Cup to include a representative of labour. We also welcomed the invitation of labour to form part of the 2010 Legacy Committee chaired by Sports and Recreation Minister, Reverend Makhenkesi Stofile. The COSATU General Secretary will represent labour in the LOC and we will nominate suitable candidates in other committees in the near future.

The CEC also reiterated its deep concern at the free-fall of the standards of South Africa soccer. The season that has just ended saw the highest goals scorer with only a ridiculous fourteen goals. Above all the person who scored the goals is not South African so he can’t be used in our national squad. Last season’s highest scorer was also not a South African; he was celebrated and feared by our local defenders yet he is not good enough to make it into a club in Britain. We were booted out of the COSAFA recently. Even in our biggest club competition involving our giant soccer squads, we could not score a single goal in normal and extra time.

COSATU reiterates the call that SAFA shares with the nation in general, and role players in particular, the development strategy it announced this year so that it can be shaped by popular participation. Soccer does not belong to SAFA officials who have only managed to administer this working class sport to the point where all of us can see the disaster that is waiting to happen in the 2010 World Cup competition. Unless drastic measures are taken we will be mere spectators during the World Cup.


 * 9** **Towards the Ninth National Congress**

COSATU’s Ninth National Congress will take place in September 2006. The CEC agreed that it will in the main assess COSATU’s strategic programme, adopted in 2003, entitled “Consolidating Working Class Power for Quality Jobs Towards 2015.” It will focus on the state of affiliates; an analysis of unions in the South; key issues arising from the survey of workers conducted in November 2005; and analysis of the political and economic situation.


 * 10** **Zimbabwe**

COSATU assisted with the distribution of sanitary pads that were collected by unions and civil society from the UK. These were distributed to workers on May Day.

COSATU was invited to attend the congress of the ZCTU on 19-20 May 2006. However, all international guests to the Congress, including Zwelinzima Vavi, were refused entry into the country and deported – an unprecedented attack on trade union rights.

The ZCTU obtained court interdicts to reverse all the deportations except Vavi’s, who has now been permanently banned from entering Zimbabwe.

This decision will be fought at the highest level. It sets a dangerous precedent that could be used by right-wing governments around the world to prevent trade unionists from meeting each other, as they have always been free to do in democratic countries.


 * 11** **Australia**

The CEC agreed on a programme of action in solidarity with the Australian trade unions against draconian new labour laws which are due to be implemented on 1 June 2006. It includes pickets at the Australian High Commission, discussion of the position of Australian workers on the SAFM programme Workers on Wednesday, sending a delegation to Australia, and a seminar on workers’ rights in Australia.


 * 12** **Gwede Mantashe**

The CEC bade farewell to one of its finest stalwarts - Gwede Mantashe, General Secretary of the NUM – who was attending his last CEC. Comrade Gwede has been a member of COSATU since it was founded.

Comrade Mantashe made a moving farewell speech to the CEC sharing his experience gained by his participation and involvement in the movement for nearly the past 30 years. He was forthright in his criticism of the new culture and deplored tendency towards factionalism. He is very proud to have contributed all his prime life to the struggle to improve conditions of the mine workers and to have been part of this great movement of workers - COSATU. He warned too against the trade unions becoming too close to the ruling party, because “then they become labour desk of ruling party. Leaders must never become the representatives of the ruling party in trade union movement” he warned.


 * Patrick Craven (Editor, Shopsteward Journal)**
 * Congress of South African Trade Unions**
 * 1-5 Leyds Cnr Biccard Streets**
 * Braamfontein, 2017**


 * P.O.Box 1019**
 * Johannesburg, 2000**
 * South Africa**


 * Tel: +27 11 339-4911/24**
 * Fax: +27 11 339-5080/6940**
 * E-Mail: patrick@cosatu.org.za**

2778 words