There is no truth in media reports that Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) leaders have ”dropped” their support for Jacob Zuma as a candidate for the African National Congress (ANC) presidency, the union federation said on Sunday.
”There is no truth in the front-page story in today’s Sunday Times, alleging that Cosatu leaders have demanded that the federation drop its support for Jacob Zuma as its preferred candidate for the presidency of the ANC,” said Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven in a statement.
”No such discussion has taken place.”
Addressing a shop steward’s meeting in Durban where Zuma was present, Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi again denied the report.
Craven said that following Cosatu’s ninth national congress in September, it was resolved that the federation would identify a leader that was best suited to represent the working class.
”This will be discussed at a meeting of the central executive committee later this month.
”The discussion is around principles and programmes and only after these have been adopted will names be discussed,” said Craven.
According to the newspaper, Cosatu leaders who attended a central executive committee meeting held at Cosatu’s headquarters in February had expressed their reservations with regards to Zuma becoming ANC president.
The newspaper said unnamed Cosatu leaders informed it that Vavi told the Cosatu executive he had never said that Zuma should be the next ANC president and suggested that the federation should consider an alternative candidate. Vavi has long been a key Zuma supporter.
He said that only towards the end of September would the federation pronounce on whom it would back in the ANC leadership race.
The paper reported that the Cosatu leaders said there was growing pressure on Cosatu to officially back ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe.
Vavi himself told the newspaper no names had been discussed. Speaking after Sunday’s shop stewards’ meeting in Durban, Vavi said the support for Zuma during ”his trials and tribulations” was different to the support for Zuma’s nomination to be president of the ANC.
”There is no doubt about it. Zuma is hugely popular, but Cosatu has not taken a decision,” he said.
Vavi expressed his dissatisfaction with unnamed sources, saying ”these faceless people were only good for selling newspapers”.
Cosatu’s KwaZulu-Natal secretary general told the shop stewards that rumours of Motlanthe being nominated by Cosatu were an attempt to discredit the current ANC secretary general.
Zuma received a rousing welcome in Durban at the shop stewards meeting and sung his trademark song Umshini Wami [Bring Me My Machine Gun].
Speaking to the shop stewards, Zuma made no mention of the report himself. Instead he focused on the ”crucial” role of Cosatu ”in the life of the ANC”. – Sapa