Willie Madisha, president of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), says government leaders may be linked to attempts to infiltrate the labour movement in a bid to fragment it.
In a wide-ranging interview on Wednesday, Madisha said: ”We know those who make these statements have planted people in our organisation to weaken some of our affiliates and eventually disintegrate our trade movement.”
He was responding to a government statement on Wednesday branding Cosatu’s two-day anti-privatisation strike a failure and saying there was a crisis of leadership in the union body.
The statement was echoed at a government press briefing by the Minister in the Office of the President Essop Pahad, Minister of Public Enterprises Jeff Radebe, Minister of Public Service and Administration Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Minister of Trade and Industry Alec Erwin and Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry Ronnie Kasrils.
Divergent perceptions of the relationship between Cosatu’s leaders and its members are central to the battle in the ruling alliance. Cosatu says the government is driving a wedge between leaders and led; the government believes a radical Cosatu leadership clique is pulling the wool over its members’ eyes.
Madisha declined to elaborate on his claims. But the Mail & Guardian reported recently that five Cosatu affiliates have complained to the labour federation of being infiltrated by intelligence operatives in a move to weaken them.
Some affiliates also complained of attempts by certain African National Congress members to undermine the functioning of unions at provincial level.
Cosatu is compiling affidavits by members to substantiate its claims. The claims will then be taken up with President Thabo Mbeki.
Madisha said he was not accusing the ”government per se. But anyone who pushes this line [that that there is a leadership crisis in Cosatu] must prove they are not part of a campaign to disintegrate and isolate leaders from workers.
”Cosatu is led by workers — office-bearers are servants who carry out their mandate. Are they saying the workers who came out to strike are stupid?”
Joel Netshitenzhe, the government communications chief, said the government had nothing to add to the statement that had been issued on Wednesday.
Responding to Mbeki’s attack on the ”ultra-left” at the opening of the ANC’s national policy conference at the weekend, Madisha said: ”We don’t know which ultra-left he is referring to. Fortunately Cosatu has not been singled out as an ultra-left organisation.
”Labelling people because you don’t agree with them is often used as a negotiation tactic. But it is dangerous — it means we are looking for enemies among ourselves.”
Madisha said the Cosatu leadership had no political ambitions, as some senior ANC people had alleged.
”Politics is not our interest. Some of us who were on ANC parliamentary lists in 1999 wrote letters to say we were not interested,” said Madisha.
At Wednesday’s press briefing, government leaders underscored the involvement in the strike of organisations such as the Landless People’s Movement and the Anti-Privatisation Forum, described by Kasrils on Wednesday as ”loony”.
Madisha replied that Cosatu ”believes in the unity of the working class. These organisations may have joined us, but they were not given a platform. We did not invite them.”
He asked why the government had made no reference to other organisations that had joined the stayaway, including the Congress of South African Students and the South African Students’ Organisation.
Cosatu did not intend to use the strike as a ”trophy”, but wanted the government to listen.
”We want a moratorium on privatisation, and we want the growth and development summit to be held, which will decide on the broad economic trajectory of the government where all the alliance partners, business and civil society can contribute.”
The federation had developed an alternative to privatisation, which it wanted the government to consider. Madisha had approached ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe before the strike last week to appeal for talks. Motlanthe promised ”space” for dialogue, but had not come back to him.
Madisha also hit back at Fraser-Moleketi’s assertion at Wednesday’s briefing that Cosatu officials had endorsed the ANC’s restructuring plans at its policy conference.
”ANC officials were present at the [South African Communist Party] congress that decided to support the anti-privatisation strike. Should we say that the ANC endorsed the strike?”
The ANC had adopted progressive policies such as the Reconstruction and Development Programme, which the government had failed to implement. ”We want the ANC to lead the government, and not the other way round.”
Cosatu’s campaign would continue until its demands were met. The union group would decide on further action at a central committee at the end of the month, Madisha said.
Earlier in the week Zwelinzima Vavi, Cosatu’s general secretary, announced that the federation would focus on a week-long campaign in each province from next week.