The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) announced on Wednesday March 19 that it might participate in the Treatment Action Campaign’s (TAC) planned civil disobedience protest.
The turnaround is significant after resistance to the campaign from ”conservative elements” in the federation, said insiders.
Emerging from its central executive committee last week, Cosatu had then said it would seek ”clarity on the TAC’s proposals on civil disobedience”. It said the use of the term ”civil disobedience” was unfortunate and should be clarified, as it meant ”breaking unjust laws, mainly against illegi-timate governments”.
On Wednesday Cosatu described the TAC’s campaign as a ”peaceful protest” and said that if the government continued to delay the provision of anti-retrovirals it would consider joining the TAC in its campaign.
Earlier this year Cosatu staged a sit-in at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) to protest against the government’s refusal to sign an Aids treatment agreement.
The TAC’s Nonkosi Khumalo said: ”We are not protesting against an illegitimate government, but the government’s illegitimate policies related to Aids.” She emphasised that the protests would be peaceful.
Labour insiders said concerns were raised at Cosatu’s central executive committee meeting at the weekend that the TAC might be resorting to drastic action, similar to the Anti-Privatisation Forum’s call on Soweto residents to destroy electricity and water meters following a tariff increase.
”We cannot endorse a situation of ungovernability and anarchy,” said a labour source. Other onlookers said Cosatu could be responding to the government’s hostility towards the ”disobedience campaign”.
They pointed out that Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana was expected to visit Cosatu House on March 27 to ”discuss issues of mutual interest”.
In the past Mdladlana has described the proposed TAC campaign as ”anti-government”. The African National Congress’s national executive committee voiced concern about the TAC campaign this week. A committee statement said ”wilful unlawful action would undermine the institutions of democracy for which so many South Africans had fought and made sacrifices”.
It added: ”Organisations should desist from statements which misrepresent government policy and programmes, and which might create unrealistic expectations about what is possible in the ongoing struggle to combat HIV/Aids.”
Reacting, Khumalo asked: ”How far is the ANC prepared to expand its understanding of democratic values? Why does it not say anything about people’s right to life and dignity by providing persons like us, living with HIV/ Aids, access to anti-retrovirals?”