This year’s national conference of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) is widely seen as the next “arena of struggle” between right and left in South Africa’s governing alliance. There was also likely to be “contestation” around the Growth and Development Summit in May.

The left-wing challenge for a stronger hand in the leadership of the African National Congress seemed set for disappointment as the party’s five-yearly national conference moved towards its climax.

Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has moved to prevent members of the African National Congress’s health secretariat from attending the party’s national conference next week in their capacity as the organisation’s health experts.

Trade unions and communist leaders have launched a combined counter-attack on what they describe as an ”authoritarian clique” in the African National Congress led by President Thabo Mbeki and including two Cabinet ministers.

It is widely believed by many alliance members that President Thabo Mbeki is the author of an internal African National Congress document entitled Unmandated Reflections or Tasks of the ANC in the New Epoch of Democratic Transformation.

Former North West MEC for Agriculture Mahlomola ”Jomo” Khasu, who quit the provincial cabinet last year after allegations that he misused a government credit card, got a resounding nod from the African National Congress in the province last weekend.

Dumisani Makhaye, a member of the African National Congress’s national executive, savaged the top echelons of the South African Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) this week.

The political rehabilitation of former African National Congress chief whip Tony Yengeni — who is still under the shadow of fraud and corruption charges — continues apace.

Government and African National Congress structures in the Eastern Cape are under siege because the province is viewed as spearheading a planned left-wing challenge to the ANC leadership at the party’s national conference in December, senior members say.