The current political debate in South Africa is about the future character of the democratic movement and not individual personalities, Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi told the Young Communist League (YCL) on Friday.
”… the debate is about the future of the revolution and the character of the movement implementing that revolution.
”It is not a debate about this or that would-be messiah, but [about] the programme and the collective will required to pursue the NDR [National Democratic Revolution] to its logical conclusion,” he said.
Vavi was addressing the YCL national congress at the Mangosuthu Technikon in Durban.
”We must do more to work for change in our movement … the debate ought to shift from personalities to the programmes to take forward the revolution. We must not allow current debates to degenerate into clashes of personality.”
He said support for African National Congress (ANC) deputy president Jacob Zuma by formation in the tripartite alliance stemmed from the belief that he has not been treated fairly by some organs of the state.
”His dignity and constitutional rights have been trampled upon as if he has been found guilty. The shabby treatment of comrade JZ [Zuma] has led a significant section of our comrades to believe that he will not receive a fair trial, given the prejudicial manner in which his case has been handled.”
He said that political power remains concentrated in too few hands. The ANC-Cosatu-South African Communist Party alliance was no longer driving transformation and the deployment of members. Instead, this process was driven by the presidency.
”The ANC, outside the periodic influence of the deployment of cadres and through development of policy in national conferences, national general councils and policy conferences, is itself largely sidelined,” he said.
Vavi also stressed the importance of maintaining the alliance as a ”progressive platform for change”.
”Those who want a black bourgeois party must leave and form their own party. The ANC will become a bourgeois party over our dead bodies …”
He said statistics showing that two out of three Africans under the age of 35 are unemployed was a ”ticking time bomb — another 1976 waiting to happen”.
”We face a real danger that soon we may kiss goodbye to all the current, more secure jobs. These are being replaced by atypical forms of employment that offer no job security or benefits and very low wages … this phenomenon afflicts more the youth and women.”
In conclusion, Vavi urged the YCL to place unity above ”petty leadership squabbles” and to resist the temptation to ”elevate contests for leadership positions” to becoming the defining moment of the congress.
”Remember tomorrow you must all work together to build a strong and vibrant movement — don’t be diverted from the challenge of building unity by narrow desire to deal with your perceived opponents.” — Sapa