Jaspreet Kindra
Disillusioned by the apparent reconciliation between the trade unions and the African National Congress, United Democratic Movement president Bantu Holomisa now doubts any alliance can be forged between opposition groupings before the 2004 general elections.
“I don’t think parties are ready or that our political process is mature enough,” he said this week.
Holomisa, who once promoted the idea of a convention of opposition parties, has now abandoned the idea of opposition mergers or partnerships.
Last year he made abortive overtures to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu). This formed part of a clear leftward shift by the UDM, when the party began denouncing the ANC’s growth, employment and redistribution policy (Gear). The UDM had backed the policy when it was launched.
Holomisa recently pronounced that the future of South Africa was based on a “strong alternative to the left of the ANC”. At the UDM’s national congress in Pretoria last month he compared the ANC to the “old apartheid masters who saw the left wing under every bush and denounced them as terrorists and communists”.
The Pan Africanist Congress also indicated interest in holding talks with Cosatu when the labour federation’s relationship with the ANC hit rock-bottom some months ago. However, the UDM leader is now disillusioned by the recent moves to mend fences between Cosatu and the ANC.
“We were looking at Cosatu with hope. Now it should die with the ANC.”
While the South African Communist Party lacked resources, the labour movement had the means and infrastructure to go it alone.
Holomisa dismisses accusations that his lurch to the left is opportunistic. “We have always held the same position as Cosatu. Even Cosatu is not against the principles of Gear. We all want growth, employment and redistribution. But here we have Trevor Manuel running the economy like a company. Unemployment is rife.”
Despite “hating” the politics of alliance, which he says is not strong enough to withstand differences of opinion, Holomisa says he will continue to pursue his idea of a convention of opposition political parties ? and will continue lobbying for this when Parliament resumes next month.
He proposes that parties should share a platform while continuing to maintain their respective identities with the objective of forming a single political party after five years. This, he says, would leave sufficient time for the parties to overcome their differences.
He says the opposition should reflect the demographics of the country. “One would have failed the country if five years from now the opposition is still dominated by the Democratic Party.”
Both the Democratic Alliance and the Inkatha Freedom Party expressed doubts about a toenadering with the UDM this week. “We’re wary of the UDM,” said a DA source. “The last time we got into serious discussions with them, they relayed the basis of the discussions to the media.”
Holomisa was prone to “fantasist” demands from a weak position.
“We don’t know how serious a politician he is,” the source said.
An IFP insider said Holomisa had shown “a certain level of immaturity” by calling for opposition parties to come together in November 1999, while at the same time attacking the IFP at a UDM congress.
“If we are that despicable, why woo us? Holomisa’s explanation, which annoyed us, was that we did not understand how politics works.”