Cosatu bars Zuma from addressing members
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has decided that President Jacob Zuma will no longer be allowed to address its members.
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The trade union federation’s General Secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali says the decision was made during a special central committee, which analysed the events at its main May Day rally in Mangaung.
On Workers Day President Zuma was jeered and heckled before he could address the main rally in the Free State. The event was subsequently cancelled. Clashes also broke out between supporters and opponents of President Zuma.
“The meeting resolved that going forward, in respect of the mandate from the workers and in line with our resolution for him to step down, President Jacob Zuma will no longer be welcomed to address Cosatu activities. This shall be communicated to the ANC, including engaging on its implication on the alliance,” Ntshalintshali says,
He says Cosatu remains a committed member of the tripartite alliance.
“We want an alliance which is at the centre of driving the national democratic revolution. That collectively develops policy that is in line with our vision of the Freedom Charter. We will continue to fight to have an alliance which is conscious that the primary task is to resolve the colonial apartheid contradiction based on radical economic transformation.”
Ntshalintshali says Cosatu is desperate for the ANC to not only rediscover its mass character, but to push for people-driven and people-centred development instead of fighting factional battles.