Jaspreet Kindra and Glenda Daniels Politics within the tripartite African National Congress-led alliance entered a particularly contradictory phase this week when branches of the union movement effectively threatened to withdraw their support from the ruling party in the run-up to the local government elections. Two major unions, which are affiliates of the alliance partner the Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu), suggested radical steps to change the status of the ANC within the alliance. The unions have been unhappy with the job losses arising out of the ANC government’s “neo-liberal” macroeconomic policies, as well as proposed changes to the liberal labour laws. One of the two unions, the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu), is expected to call on its members to abandon ANC candidates supporting privatisation. At its Sixth Congress in Durban Samwu is also expected to endorse a call by its Johannesburg branch for the return of all privatised services and assets to local government.
Earlier this week, at its annual congress, members of the 200 000-strong National Union of Mineworkers of South Africa (Numsa) called for the South African Communist Party to replace the ANC as leader of the alliance. The latest tensions coincide with preparations for the local government elections, which are likely to provide the most serious test of the alliance because of the emphasis at this tier of the government on restructuring and privatisation. Nevertheless, both political parties and commentators say it is extremely unlikely that the alliance will split before the next general election in 2004. The alliance has been plagued with contradictions since its inception. The ANC has time and again espoused socialist principles in public – like Cosatu and the SACP. On the other hand, in the government, the ruling party has endorsed a conservative macroeconomic policy. Cosatu and the SACP have therefore walked the tightrope of criticising the ANC’s macroeconomic policy but at the same time endorsing the party and its leadership of the alliance. The unions’ leadership sought to downplay the radical calls from their membership, seeking to project it was business as usual in the alliance.
Oupa Bodibe, coordinator in the Cosatu secretariat, said the union federation would support the ANC in the elections, but would try to ensure that it does not support privatisation programmes. This week’s flurry of contradictions follows the SACP’s baffling stance on the government’s latest privatisation policy announcement. The party initially gave a cautious endorsement of the government’s latest blueprint for state asset restructuring, albeit emphasising the need for consultation and negotiation. But SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande this week insisted his party was still opposed to privatisation, at the same time expressing support for the ANC-led alliance. The partners need each other. The labour movement has its best ally in the ANC and can negotiate more effectively while staying in the alliance – such as by issuing threats to break away from it. The ANC draws its support base from Cosatu’s two million members. At the Samwu conference this week Cosatu president Willie Madisha said the alliance was not working properly, while Samwu president Petrus Mashishi said it was suffering “glaring weaknesses”. Numsa representative Dumisa Ntuli said that at its conference in Mafikeng the union had come up with two views about the alliance – that it “should be restructured with the SACP taking the lead role” or the alliance should remain as is but consult on key policy issues.
All these tensions will come to the fore at Cosatu’s congress in September. In a recent discussion paper for the conference the union federation strongly criticised the ANC in the government for effectively ignoring its alliance partners on key policies. Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi warned this week, at the Samwu conference, that the forthcoming Cosatu conference would set the stage for vigorous opposition to proposed amendments to the labour laws. ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe refused to respond to the Numsa call, saying it was a “draft resolution”. In a recent interview Motlanthe questioned the contradictory stance adopted by members of the ANC’s alliance partners. “How can a member of the SACP or Cosatu accept to sit in Parliament as an ANC representative and support the party’s policies but then oppose it as members of their various organisations?”