Cosatu general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali. Picture: Simphiwe Mbokazi/African News Agency (ANA) Archives
Johannesburg - Cosatu has indicated that it could dump the ANC at the polls as soon as the upcoming elections if its discussions with the SACP bear fruit.
Following its central executive committee meeting, the federation announced on Thursday that it was increasingly battling to rally workers behind the ANC, which it accuses of failing them.
Cosatu general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said the ANC-led alliance was faced with a serious crisis of legitimacy and that the federation’s CEC would soon convene a special seating to deliberate on the posture of Cosatu ahead of the 2021 elections.
“The CEC meeting acknowledged that there are major problems facing workers that will make it hard to convince workers to support the ANC during the upcoming elections. Some of these challenges have left many workers feeling like they are being asked to vote against their own interests,” Ntshalintshali said.
Cosatu has accused the ANC of being perpetually plagued by divisions, ill-discipline and the inability to implement progressive policies in government, including its own resolutions such as those of its Nasrec conference in 2017.
Ntshalintshali pointed out that while workers had always mainly backed the governing party at the polls, this was not unconditional.
“Workers have always made it clear that their support for the ANC does not amount to a blank cheque, and previously refused to campaign or support candidates known to be corrupt or lazy, just because they succeeded in manipulating the ANC internal processes,” he said.
He indicated that the federation would hold bilateral meetings with the SACP to discuss the matter and its resolution to contest elections.
“We believe that the conditions will never be perfect for the party to answer this question. The federation believes that the party should create these conditions. In addition, we shall demand that our vanguard party of the working class, to address some of its internal weaknesses,” he said.
siviwe.feketha@inl.co.za
Political Bureau