Some time it seem more fun to watch how debates develop and wonder where these thoughts come from. It seem like there is a tendency to promote and elevate issues and persons if and when it complements our personal views. When Vavi dealt with Madishi the issue of worker control was never raised although it was an official deposing a worker President. I’m as much to blame as I was part of the CEC and actually motivated moved and defended the position to get rid of Madishi. Now that Jim is responding to the resignation in the manner that he does the issue of worker control and officials are raised. The same contradiction has arisen when Malema challenged Zuma, then it became blatant treason but when he was disrespectful towards Thabo it was fair game. We conveniently forget that the same Numsa president was opening all constitutional meetings and was pretty well part of the move to find alternatives to Cosatu. So let’s not look at the side shows but focus on the broader developments within Cosatu. COSATU AS A CONTESTED TERRAIN Since 1994 the congress support has been dwindling within Cosatu. In the past we could easily suppress any other tendency be it Trotskyite or Maoists or any other leftist tendency. Suppressing these tendencies does not mean that they left the Trade Union Movement. They remained and are in a good position to take over the Federation. The Irony is that next year all the individuals opposing Vavi would be in parliament. S’dumo is in the top 10 of the NEC, 3 of Nehawu NOB’s are leaving to two provinces and National. Those are but a few and we all know that this type of fight in a Union do not die easily and it seem like it is going to be a protracted fight. IF COSATU should split we are guaranteed 80% of Numsa, 80% of Samwu to be joined by AMCU or whatever the NUM counterpart is and that constitute a substantial number of people. The only sector that is safe for now is the public sector the rest could split at any moment. Satawu leadership is accused of eating 20 million Chemical and Paper is divided and accuse the GS of fraud, add to this the mired of splinter unions already in existence and you have an alternative to Cosatu, that make the trivial spat we had in Nehawu look like a Wednesday prayer meeting. Comrades we do not need name calling and blaming now we need to find a solution to the fight in Cosatu, because we are at the verge of losing control of a very important section of our social formations, and that is the workers. Already the maturity of the leaders are being challenged, when did You ever hear of NUM deadlocking on a demand of 100% increase for underground workers. The problem is if they do not fight they lose their constituency regardless of the reactionary demands workers may have. Soon we would be taking positions against the same workers we professed to be standing for because they are under the ‘Wrong Leadership” whilst we remain idle on the side and say nothing because we need to maintain the line. The question is what line, for the first time in the history of the ANC we are faced with elections following year but there is no cohesion, no mobilisation, no closing of ranks but we still see purges and political attacks and unjustifiable ammunition being given to our opponents as if we are invincible. Lets face it Vavi and his supporters have nothing to lose, they know the consequence of their actions, but we have an election to lose or be relegated to a 51/49 party whereby we would be lame ducks, that’s not a position any liberation movement want to be in.
Posted on: Wed, 27 Nov 2013 14:45:34 +0000
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