Struggle leaders on Monday called on the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), in word and song, to ensure that the African National Congress won the third democratic elections next year.
Addressing delegates at Cosatu’s eighth national congress in Midrand, former president Nelson Mandela said: “I’m confident that the ANC is going to lead this country for a long time to come.
“People who have been liberated hardly forget the organisation that liberated them.
“The people of South Africa have not forgotten the organisation that liberated them.”
The ANC was confident that workers would not forget that it was the ruling party that had brought services to improve the quality of life for poor people in South Africa “much more than the preceding governments put together”, Mandela said.
“Our people know that much more need to be done. They also know that we have made significant changes in bringing services to millions of our people.”
Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota, who read a speech on behalf of President Thabo Mbeki, said: “Our obligation to the masses of our people demand that we work hard to secure a decisive victory in the elections.
“Immediately, we have to go out to ensure that our people, in particular the youth, have identity documents and are registered to vote.
“This is the clarion call that must emerge from this congress, that we have to register a new political victory over political forces that offer no hope to the masses…”
Willie Madisha, the president of Cosatu, said at the opening of the congress: “We need the alliance as the historic bloc that brings together the progressive forces in our society, and as the only realistic way to mobilise our people for transformation.
“The alliance’s task is to ensure an overwhelming victory for the ANC, not just overall, but especially in Kwazulu-Natal and the Western Cape.
“We cannot let apathy or disappointed expectations lead us to ignore the importance of the elections, which will undermine the very base of popular power in our country,” Madisha said.
He, Mandela and Lekota addressed about 3 500 delegates who converged at Midrand north of Johannesburg for the four-day national congress of the trade union federation. The congress, which started on Monday, ends on Thursday.
The delegates sang struggle songs saying workers would vote for the ANC in the forthcoming elections, and others ululated when some of the speakers made the call.
However, Mbeki used the platform to lash out at opponents of the ANC, Cosatu and the South African Communist Party. The three organisations form the tripartite alliance in South Africa.
He said those who sought to cause divisions and weaken the alliance were dreaming.
“As we would expect, those who have something to gain from a divided alliance, have been speculating that the congress will focus on, among other things, driving a wedge between the ANC and Cosatu.
“For some strange reason, these forces always convince themselves that their wishes represent reality.
“Because they want to see the ANC and Cosatu fighting each other, they convince themselves that they will make their dream come true, by launching a destructive war among ourselves.
“Those who are fond of speculating about splits in our alliance seem incapable of understanding that we are united as ever. We would like to tell them to continue dreaming.” — Sapa
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