The Congress of South African Trade Unions supports the need to change the Constitution to bolster land redistribution, but does not support expropriation without compensation.
“We are concerned that the willing buyer, willing seller principle has not helped South Africa achieve what we aimed to achieve in ensuring that land is restored to the people,” Cosatu president Sidumo Dlamini said in Johannesburg on Thursday.
He was speaking after a meeting of the union federation’s central executive committee, which has called for the amendment of the Constitution to speed up land redistribution.
In June, the ANC Youth League passed a resolution urging the amendment of the property clause of the Constitution, to clear the way for land redistribution without compensation.
However, Cosatu believed this was not the way to go.
‘More aggressive’ redistribution of land and wealth
“We must mobilise the country behind the demand for more aggressive land and wealth redistribution and show the real dangers of maintaining the status quo,” it said in a resolution.
“In this regard, we call for real dialogue among all our people, including with the opposition parties.”
Dlamini said Cosatu wanted a more effective method to ensure that land was restored to the people. Changing the Constitution required that the ANC obtained a two-thirds majority in the next election, he said.
Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said the land issue was symptomatic of broader inequalities in South Africa, and threatened its long-term political stability.
“You can’t have the current situation almost defined by the 1913 Land Act, where 87% of the population is forced to only occupy 13% of the land and 12% of the population takes the rest.
‘New Codesa’
The inequalities in South Africa required a “new Codesa”, the Convention for a Democratic South Africa — talks which began in 1991 to, among other tasks, draft a new constitution and set up an interim government.
“The land hunger on the part of the majority, you can’t sustain that politically. Eventually you going to see an implosion, more so after 2014.”
South Africa’s next general election takes place in 2014.
Cosatu reiterated its support for the nationalisation of the mines and other sectors of the economy.
Dlamini and Vavi echoed comments by ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe earlier this week, that nationalisation should not be used as a lobbying tool ahead of the ANC’s leadership elections in 2012.
The ANC’s 2012 elective conference will be held in Mangaung in the Free State.
“Let’s talk policy, let’s convince one another on the strength of our argument and let’s not use power to blackmail others into submission when they hold a different view, which they are entitled to do,” Vavi said.
Smile a while longer
Cosatu was adamant there was no succession race in the federation over the position of general secretary. It was recently reported that the general secretaries of powerful affiliates within the federation were vying for the position. Dlamini said the union would clamp down on those prematurely opening the succession debate.
Cosatu welcomed the ANC’s “decisiveness” in enforcing discipline in the movement.
“We welcome that, the reassertion of the authority of the ANC,” he said.
The party was taking disciplinary action against the leadership of its youth league, for sowing division and bringing the ANC into disrepute.
Vavi said he watched a video of the press briefing, addressed by Mantashe, which followed the ANC’s leadership meeting.
“I smiled,” he said. — Sapa