2005-11-07,+ANC+Deputy+President+Jacob+Zuma+at+COSATU+celebrations

= SPEAKING NOTES BY ANC DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA AT COSATU’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS =


 * DURBAN, 04 DECEMBER 2005**

President of Cosatu, Willie Madisha, General Secretary of Cosatu, Zwelinzima Vavi, Secretary General of the SACP, Dr. Blade Nzimande, President of the ANC Youth League, Fikile Mbalula, Members of the Cosatu Executive, Members of the SACP Central Committee, Members of the ANC NEC,

Friends and Comrades,

At 11am on 30 November 1985, 760 delegates from 33 unions representing over 460 000 workers gathered in the sports hall of the former University of Natal here in Durban, raised their fists and sang Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika. Cosatu on that day was born.

The state of emergency which had been declared months before was permeating through society. In answer, the townships of South Africa were in revolt, rising up to defy the apartheid machinery in a demonstration of mass power.

The United Democratic Front had been formed two years earlier and there were now unprecedented levels of mobilization and mass organization. That same fever defined the launch of Cosatu - the biggest offensive in the working class struggle in South Africa.

The interests of workers in the factories, mines, shopfloors, farms and kitchens of apartheid South Africa became inextricably linked with those of the oppressed and exploited in the society as a whole.

Because of the context in which it was formed, Cosatu was bound to have a major impact on political and economic struggles in the country.

The formation of the giant trade union federation has among others its root in the 1973 Durban strikes wave. Some of the key trade unions in the history of the South African working class, which were part of COSATU in 1985, can easily trace their origins to the Durban strikes.

The 1973 strikes led to a chain of events that redefined the South African political landscape. The wave of strikes was followed by the bus boycotts in the former Natal and Transvaal during the height of repression. The air of defiance that defined these events is what eventually provoked the 1976 student revolts.

These occurred when the liberation struggle had been at its lowest ebb and the uprising of the workers and the youth revived the militant mood in the country and also helped to strengthen the ANC at all levels.

Cosatu instantly responded to the call by President Oliver Tambo to render the apartheid state ungovernable and though still in its infancy, the trade union federation was able to show its muscle through the two-million strong May Day strike in 1986.

Cosatu remains the custodian for the organized, united and conscious workers, retaining its place in the mass army of revolution. The South African labour market was the centrepiece of apartheid's mechanism for social control. It comes as no surprise that this area remains an intense site of struggle.

Since its formation, COSATU has been an important component of all the major historic developments in our country over the last 20 years. Its political consciousness gave it power and by aligning itself to the liberation movement, Cosatu became more relevant and instrumental in the broad political battles.


 * It fought uncompromisingly and with courage against the state of emergencies of the Botha regime in the mid-to-late 1980s.
 * Its struggles contributed significantly in forcing the apartheid regime to the negotiating table
 * After the unbanning of the liberation movement COSATU did not hesitate but moved with speed to formalize our alliance arrangements under the new conditions
 * COSATU was a key part in the constitutional negotiations of the early 1990s and also played an important role in the defence of our people against the counter-revolutionary violence unleashed by the apartheid regime and its proxies as a last ditch attempt to derail negotiations
 * COSATU further waged a heroic struggle to ensure that workers’ rights are enshrined in our new constitution
 * We also salute the role that COSATU played in the development of the RDP document. That document was in a way our people’s contract for a democratic South Africa
 * Current and former leaders of COSATU have played a very important role in the reconstruction of our country since 1994. COSATU has also given this country cabinet ministers, mayors, members of parliament, senior civil servants and many other cadres who are serving this government with distinction

We raise our flags to salute Elijah Barayi, Chris Dlamini, Jay Naidoo and all the leadership elected in the founding Congress who built this foundation under extremely difficult conditions and apartheid repression.

This joyous occasion also demands of us to celebrate and honour the leadership of SACTU, John Nkadimeng, Moses Kotane, JB Marks, Steven Dlamini, Ray Alexander Simons, Vuyisile Mini, Oscar Mpetha Rita Ndzanga, Gana Makhabeni and many others.

Cosatu has remained on the front lines through our political, social and economic transition. Together with our alliance partner, the South African Communist Party, Cosatu has been a Thought Leader in this country and even beyond its borders.

In all the major debates in post apartheid South Africa, both Cosatu and the SACP have chosen to be guided by principle rather than adopting positions that are fashionable, safe or comfortable.

Even when their positions were viewed as unpopular and the leadership is ostracized, Cosatu has remained steadfast to its mission to emancipate the working class. We also salute COSATU for having not hesitated to forthrightly raise things that it does not agree with, but at the same time steadfastly being a key component of our alliance. In you we know that as the ANC we have a reliable ally and a true champion of workers’ rights.

On economic debates, Cosatu has made a major contribution to ensure that policies and programmes of both the ANC and government maintain a bias to the poor and working class.

Cosatu has ensured that our labour dispensation is fair and just, favouring workers rather than big capital. However there are still serious problems in the labour market that need to be addressed.

One of these is the casualisation of labour which in my view is reducing workers to slaves.

We should therefore urge government to consider legislating to bridge the gap between the formal employment and casual labour. We need to ensure that all workers are protected by the legislative framework.

Cosatu’s most discernable role over the past few years has been to lead the crusade to halt the shedding of jobs and to increase employment. Through its role in the Job and Growth and Development summits, it has helped to put in place programmes to create employment. It has also put its money where its mouth is – creating 30 000 jobs through the Job Creation Trust.

On social issues, Cosatu has also shaped debate and programmes to advance the interests of the working class and the poor. Cosatu has championed the cause of people living with HIV/Aids. The scourge of this disease has had its most devastating effect on the South African workforce and rightfully, Cosatu has pushed for us all to confront this reality and make the challenging of halting the spread of HIV/Aids a top priority issue.

Equally, the trade union movement has taken it upon itself to participate in programmes to advance gender equality and halt the abuse of women and children. Cosatu has also taken on a greater role on the international stage, speaking out against the abuse and threats of worker rights.

As we deal with the current challenges of the National Democratic Revolution, we also need to ensure that we do not let go of our original mission – to create a society free of inequality whether it be racial, gender, social or economic.

It entails playing vanguard to the interests, hopes, welfare and future of the workers. All these debates take place in a highly charged political atmosphere. Because Cosatu is a key component of the ANC-led alliance, it has a right to be concerned about what is happening in the ANC, its leadership and where it is going.

Cosatu had an important role in shaping the nature and course of the liberation struggle, and therefore it has a right to participate in current political debates.

Equally, the ANC would like a strong Cosatu and a strong SACP to help in the process of the transformation project.

Chief Albert Luthuli aptly illustrated the relationship between the ANC and the progressive trade union movement by saying that the former was the shield of the nation, and the latter the spear of the nation. To wage a war, we know that both these are essential to conquer and overcome the enemy.

The active involvement of the trade unionists in the political life of this country is what makes us unique. It must us conduct the most effective struggle against the most repressive regime in the world, and defeated it convincingly.

But we should also know that it guarantees the sustainability of our democracy and defence of our freedom.

This leads me to a serious issue affecting our movement right now. We face a real danger of losing what made us the ANC – our values, the spirit of comradeship the sense of selflessness that led so many people to sacrifice their lives for our freedom and democracy.

The quest for economic, social and political power is threatening the foundations on which this movement was built and we cannot allow that. We need to strive for the preservation of who and what we are as members of the ANC, the unique alliance and the broad Movement.

Inside us there is something special and unique. That something is what we are. It cannot be purchased through membership of the ANC or utilization of money. Neither can it be infused into others who do not know what makes the ANC to be what it is.

It is the values and commitment to our proud history that keeps our organization alive today as the biggest political party in Africa. We are under threat from a fast modernizing society based on self-advancement, enrichment, ambition and the quest for power. We should never sacrifice the essence of the ANC at any cost. All of these things conflict with the values which defined the movement on which the struggle for liberation was fought and won. I urge the leadership and membership of Cosatu to continue to claim the ANC as your own, and to stand guard over our Movement, never allowing the things we hold sacred to be sacrificed at any cost. In the same way, the ANC must claim Cosatu as its own and play an active role in the life of our trade union federation.

The alliance must remain as the political centre that drives transformation. The alliance led by the ANC remains the only political force that can lead and transform the South African society.

As the ANC we should not be afraid if workers raise their concerns and problems in a principled manner, particularly those organized under an allied organization.

Instead we should take this as a challenge and an opportunity to engage. After all it is us in the alliance who know and understand democracy. We keep real democratic culture alive in the country. It is within the alliance where real debate about real issues takes place, issues that are fundamental to the future of our country and its people.

As I have always said, there is no problem that we cannot resolve as an Alliance, provided we give ourselves time to openly and in a comradely fashion debate these issues amongst ourselves. Whenever we engage each other as comrades we always find one another. We must continue to utilize this unique instrument of the South African people – the alliance.

The ANC is an organization that over the decades has developed a bias towards the poor and working class. This is because we know, as the ANC, that the poor and organized workers constitute the most important layer of our movement. Without a strong organized working class, our movement and revolution will be severely weakened.

We have challenging times ahead. As a movement, we have already been put through severe tests and many others remain on the road ahead. However, among others, we have two documents - The Freedom Charter and the Bill of Rights in the Constitution - which serve as roadmaps to navigate the difficulties which lie before us, as well as to deal with some of the obstacles we have already stumbled over.

The Freedom Charter declares that there shall be work for all. It also states that we shall all have equal human rights and that we shall all be equal before the law. It ends by saying: “These freedoms we will fight for, side by side, throughout our lives, until we have won our liberty”.

The Bill of Rights reinforces this saying: “Everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected”.

It also states that everyone has the right to freedom of association, and as we navigate the road ahead, these tenets should never be forgotten. In conclusion, I would like to congratulate Cosatu on its anniversary and for its proud tradition of worker and class struggle. But as we look forward to the new phase of the revolution, let us never forget where we came from and how we got here.

I thank you. PaUL Notyhawa (Spokesperson), Congress of South African Trade Unions, 1-5 Leyds Cnr Biccard Streets, Braamfontein, 2017 P.O.Box 1019, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa

Cell: 082 4911 591, Tel: +27 11 339-4911/24, Fax: +27 11 339-5080/6940, E-Mail: patrick@cosatu.org.za