Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi could emerge as the rival of the deputy police minister, Fikile Mbalula, for the position of ANC secretary general in 2012, instead of the incumbent Gwede Mantashe, as was widely expected.
Although the ANC does not want to start a succession debate, Mantashe fuelled speculation that Vavi might be a contender for a top ANC position this week when he told the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union’s congress in Ekurhuleni that Vavi would be “redeployed” in the ANC once he stepped down as Cosatu leader in 2012.
At the ANC’s national general council last week, Mbalula declined to answer questions about his future role in the ANC, but his lobbyists are hard at work campaigning for him to take the reins at Luthuli House in 2012.
Mantashe told the Mail & Guardian on Thursday that the trade unions should prepare their leaders for redeployment as a “conscious exercise” and members should see the union movement as a school of communism.
“They must not cut off their nose to spite their face. We tend to get stuck in our irritation with each other, as if we are in a contest,” Mantashe said, referring to the bad blood between the ANC and Cosatu following the public service strike and the general souring of their relationship.
He singled out Vavi as a leader who must be deployed “anywhere that his skills fit”, but said a specific position for him had not been identified.
“We deployed Jay [Naidoo] as a minister, Sam [Mbhazima Shilowa] as premier. There is no specific position.”
Shortly after the public service strike ended, a union leader told the M&G that Vavi’s future role should be as a senior leader of the ANC.
What do you do after that?
“If you’re in Cosatu, what do you do after that? You can go into business or the ANC. Vavi will easily get elected as an NEC [national executive committee] member. Even at Polokwane he would have walked into a top ANC position,” the unionist said.
The leader said the “obvious” position for Vavi was the one of secretary general, because it has always been occupied by unionists, mainly from the National Union of Mineworkers, where both Vavi and Mantashe began their careers.
Lobbyists in Cosatu and the South African Communist Party have recently mentioned the possible deployment of Mantashe as ANC chairperson in 2012.
However, several Cosatu leaders who spoke to the M&G took issue with Mantashe’s remarks on Vavi’s future, saying they felt it was Cosatu’s prerogative.
Zet Luzipho, Cosatu’s provincial secretary, said: “Yesterday, we were told not to interfere with other organisations, now they’re coming with this. We mustn’t create the impression that somebody is thinking on behalf of our leaders. Cosatu will decide where people go.”
He said Cosatu had not discussed whether Vavi should step down after his current term.
Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini agreed that Vavi’s future had not featured in Cosatu’s discussions, but said Mantashe’s comment was necessary.
“He was advising leaders of the value of ensuring that there are proper strategies for leaders as they leave the movement,” Dlamini said.
Meanwhile, lobbyists for Mbalula to be the ANC’s future secretary general see the NGC as a positive step in their campaign, especially the support in the ANC for an “intergenerational mix”, saying that it put paid to criticism that Mbalula was too young for such a senior position.
A possible Cabinet reshuffle could result in Mbalula taking up a full minister’s post, which he was allegedly offered by President Jacob Zuma in January. Members of Mbalula’s support group said Zuma had since dragged his feet on the reshuffle and had not effected the change.
The three ministries said to ahve been offered to him were sport, correctional services or state security.
Zizi Kodwa, Zuma’s communications adviser, could not be reached for comment.
Mbalula’s camp is concerned that the offer could be a strategy to keep him preoccupied with government work and leave him no time to campaign for 2012.
But rejecting the offer was not an option: “If he rejects the deployment, it will be seen as not observing protocol,” said a source.