The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) is to seek a meeting with President Thabo Mbeki to raise concerns about alleged interference by African National Congress members in trade unions.
Reliable sources say Cosatu is compiling affidavits from its members across the country providing evidence of alleged interference and intimidation by several ANC members.
The move follows allegations that appeared in the Mail & Guardian last week that five of Cosatu’s biggest affiliate unions have been infiltrated by government intelligence operatives as an attempt to undermine the leadership and weaken the labour movement in the country.
Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said at a press briefing last week that six of its affiliates have been targeted in several media reports in an attempt to weaken the labour federation. He implied that Cosatu had come under attack because of its anti-privatisation strike next month.
The paper also reported that Cosatu’s central executive last week was considering the text of a letter addressed to Minister of Intelligence Lindiwe Sisulu, which raised the issue of the alleged infiltration. However, it was learnt this week that the labour federation’s central executive decided against sending the letter. The federation felt that it would be more effective if it raised the issue politically — hence the decision to meet Mbeki in his capacity as both president of the country and the tripartite alliance.
Labour sources claimed that many senior ANC members have sought to interfere in trade unions provincially, justifying their action on the basis of an ANC national executive resolution taken last year. The resolution urged ANC members to participate in union structures to strengthen the alliance.
But union sources said there has been a concerted effort on the part of these ANC members to sow division within union leadership structures particularly in provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal following Cosatu’s anti-privatisation strike last year. The sources said an affidavit on the role played by ANC national executive member Dumisani Makhaye had also been received.
ANC national spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama said allegations against senior members of the party, such as Makhaye, particularly before the party’s national conference, should not be levelled without proof.
Ngonyama urged these ”nameless and faceless union members” to step forward and provide the party with evidence of interference.
Addressing the wider issue of interference, Ngonyama cited a recent public disclosure by a Cosatu official in the Eastern Cape of the name of the trade union’s favoured candidate for the ANC’s provincial chair in that province. He said: ”We would not even think of doing something similar if the trade union was having elections.”
Last year’s strike against aspects of government economic policy almost led to the collapse of the alliance. Resolutions calling for the strengthening of the alliance were adopted subsequently by the leadership structures of all the three partners.
However, some labour sources claimed that committees within the ANC structures had been set up to brainstorm on strategies to undermine the structures of the unions.
Interference by the ANCleadership, described by many workers as ”blatant”, was visible at the fifth national congress of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) in Durban this week. Addressing the delegates at the opening of the congress in his capacity as ANC secretary general, Kgalema Motlanthe devoted almost his entire speech to the issue of how to elect leaders.
”Elections at a conference such as this is one of the many instruments that, if handled correctly, will contribute to strengthening our organisation and building unity among us,” he said as the Sadtu congress prepared itself to elect its new leadership.
Motlanthe also went on to defend Sadtu general secretary Thulas Nxesi against media reports alleging that he is drawing an enormous salary. Nxesi is widely viewed as a favourite with the ANC leadership and is expected to be challenged by his assistant, Solly Mabusela, who is believed to be an independent-minded trade unionist.
Significantly Motlanthe made no attempt to defend Sadtu president Willy Madisha, who has also been the focus of media attention, including claims that he has been drawing two salaries. Madisha is also Cosatu president.
Motlanthe attacked Cosatu’s position on the New Partnership for African Development — that it was an attempt to ”continentalise Gear [South Africa’s growth, employment and redistribution strategy]”. He mounted a defence of Gear.
The battle for the minds of the workers continued with Madisha, Vavi and South African Communist party general secretary Blade Nzimande going on to make a case for the anti-privatisation strike called on October 1 and 2.
When the time for elections arrived, members decided for the sake of unity to retain the Sadtu leadership as it stood.