Unions such as Numsa accuse Cosatu of trying to delay the Vavi debate.
"The ANC is our home, we cannot burn our own home as workers because without it, we have nowhere to go," KwaZulu-Natal Cosatu secretary Zet Luzipo told supporters at the ANC's KwaZulu-Natal manifesto launch in Pietermaritzburg.
Luzipo was referring to the National Union of Metalworkers (Numsa), which has decided not to support the ANC in this year's elections. He called on workers to campaign for the ruling party and to go out in their numbers on the day of voting.
The ANC's alliance partners, the South African Communist Party (SACP) and Cosatu were delivering their messages of support at the party's provincial manifesto launch. SACP provincial chairman James Nxumalo dismissed the emergence of new parties, saying they were formed by individuals without a vision.
"People do not want to be led and because of this, they decide to form their parties without any direction" said Nxumalo. He urged people to come out in their numbers and vote for the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal. "We want to get 90% in this election," Nxumalo said.
'Service delivery flows like tap water'
KwaZulu-Natal ANC chairman Senzo Mchunu singled out achievements in health and education as an illustration of the ruling party's ability to deliver services to the people in the province. "Service delivery flows like tap water under the ANC government and there should not be any doubt [in the minds of] the province's citizens," Mchunu told supporters at the manifesto launch.
He outlined a series of achievements, which included 56 schools that had been built, 6 473 classrooms, 294 laboratories and 480 kitchens to prepare meals for pupils. He also mentioned that the ANC had brought an end to mud schools and that 203 clinics had been built in the province since 1994.
Mchunu pleaded with ANC supporters to join in a fight against HIV. "You and I need to intensify our efforts in fighting against the scourge." Mchunu added that democracy under the ANC had ensured that there was political tolerance and the end of "no go areas" in the province. – Sapa