Cyril Ramaphosa's address at labour federation Cosatu's central committee meeting was highly-anticipated.
There was heightened anticipation at labour federation Cosatu’s central committee meeting in Centurion, ahead of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address today to the delegates who have endorsed him to succeed President Jacob Zuma as leader of the ANC and the country.
Ramaphosa received a hero’s welcome, with delegates rushing to the front to greet him. Others sang and cheered when he waved to them.
Cosatu members then started singing Zuma a’tsamaye – a song that calls on the president to step down. Cosatu president S’dumo Dlamini attempted to hush the delegates but they refused – an open show of defiance.
Yesterday, the first day of the meeting saw delegates confront Dlamini over his endorsement of Zuma, after Cosatu called for the president to step down. Dlamini was told that he still owes the gathering an apology and that he should not have undermined the members.
In his political address, Dlamini failed to note the endorsement of Ramaphosa or the call for Zuma to step down, a move that teachers union Sadtu said showed he did not want to take ownership of the collective Cosatu decision.
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe and his South Afrcan Communist Party (SACP) counterpart, Blade Nzimande, are also present for Ramaphosa’s address.
On Monday, Nzimande told the conference that the SACP would not be intimidated into keeping quiet about the divisions in the ANC or the “capture” of sections of the ANC and the state.
Nzimande said a “shadow parallel government” had reared its head and he called on Cosatu to help the SACP expose and defeat it.