‘ANC Fails As Strategic Center of Power’
November 25 2015 at 07:30am
By Shanti Aboobaker
INDEPENDENT MEDIA
Johannesburg - The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), Cosatu’s biggest affiliate, yesterday accused the ANC of betraying workers – going as far as to rubbish parts of President Jacob Zuma’s speech to congress.
Nehawu first deputy president Mike Shingange slammed Zuma’s comments on Monday that the ANC was not a socialist organisation, saying this meant he had divorced the ruling party from the national democratic revolution.
“What we have observed, is in our movement there’s a disjuncture… the movement is being led by the state instead of the movement leading the state,” Shingange said.
“It does look like the ANC alone has failed as a strategic centre of power. Having accepted that… we think it’s time to bring back the debate that the alliance is the strategic centre of political power, so that we can direct what must be implemented by the state.”
On Monday Zuma said the ANC did not fight for socialism but for national democracy.
But Shingange disagreed, saying the ANC spoke “for only one class” – capitalists.
“The contradictions that the NDR seeks to resolve are racial contradictions, gender contradictions and class contradictions,” he added.
Further, Nehawu called on Cosatu to insist that the ANC agree to certain conditions ahead of the local government elections. “When we leave the congress, it must have been clear, having said everything that the ANC must emerge a leader of society at the end of the local government elections.”
National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) health and safety chairperson Peter Bailey said the ANC had been captured by a “right-wing clique”.
“Given the fact that the predominant voice of the ANC is right wing, yes we agree that it has abandoned workers. More and more there is an onslaught against workers, including calls for the alliance to be unbundled,” he told Independent Media.
He said the ANC was meant to be a “vehicle towards the objective of socialism”.
Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) general secretary Katishi Masemola agreed that the ANC did not serve working class interests.
“We also don’t agree that the ANC is the strategic political centre. We believe it must be the alliance,” he said.
Another Fawu delegate said:
“The ANC cannot take us where we want to go… it’s a fact. It has fulfilled its mandate. That’s why our own vanguard… the SACP… should take us to a classless society.”
However, the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu), disagreed.
“The ANC being multi-class is not a problem. We operate in a capitalist society. We don’t agree with Nehawu,” said Satawu general secretary Zenzo Mahlangu.
By Shanti Aboobaker
INDEPENDENT MEDIA
Johannesburg - The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), Cosatu’s biggest affiliate, yesterday accused the ANC of betraying workers – going as far as to rubbish parts of President Jacob Zuma’s speech to congress.
Nehawu first deputy president Mike Shingange slammed Zuma’s comments on Monday that the ANC was not a socialist organisation, saying this meant he had divorced the ruling party from the national democratic revolution.
“What we have observed, is in our movement there’s a disjuncture… the movement is being led by the state instead of the movement leading the state,” Shingange said.
“It does look like the ANC alone has failed as a strategic centre of power. Having accepted that… we think it’s time to bring back the debate that the alliance is the strategic centre of political power, so that we can direct what must be implemented by the state.”
On Monday Zuma said the ANC did not fight for socialism but for national democracy.
But Shingange disagreed, saying the ANC spoke “for only one class” – capitalists.
“The contradictions that the NDR seeks to resolve are racial contradictions, gender contradictions and class contradictions,” he added.
Further, Nehawu called on Cosatu to insist that the ANC agree to certain conditions ahead of the local government elections. “When we leave the congress, it must have been clear, having said everything that the ANC must emerge a leader of society at the end of the local government elections.”
National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) health and safety chairperson Peter Bailey said the ANC had been captured by a “right-wing clique”.
“Given the fact that the predominant voice of the ANC is right wing, yes we agree that it has abandoned workers. More and more there is an onslaught against workers, including calls for the alliance to be unbundled,” he told Independent Media.
He said the ANC was meant to be a “vehicle towards the objective of socialism”.
Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) general secretary Katishi Masemola agreed that the ANC did not serve working class interests.
“We also don’t agree that the ANC is the strategic political centre. We believe it must be the alliance,” he said.
Another Fawu delegate said:
“The ANC cannot take us where we want to go… it’s a fact. It has fulfilled its mandate. That’s why our own vanguard… the SACP… should take us to a classless society.”
However, the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu), disagreed.
“The ANC being multi-class is not a problem. We operate in a capitalist society. We don’t agree with Nehawu,” said Satawu general secretary Zenzo Mahlangu.
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