The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) is caught between a rock and a hard place, forced to choose between its two most powerful allies — the ANC and the SACP — as the Tripartite Alliance heads into its most brutal local government elections yet.
The federation, which has historically acted as the glue holding the alliance together, is now trying to hold a fracturing pact intact, with the SACP determined to contest elections on its own for the first time and the ANC fighting to retain its dominance.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday ahead of Cosatu’s 15th National Congress, president Zingiswa Losi admitted the federation is walking a tightrope.
Cosatu’s Central Executive Committee met on August 25 and resolved to convene an Alliance Political Council — a last-ditch effort to find “modalities” for how alliance partners who are now electoral rivals can still coexist.
“We have been saying that we are going to our 15th national congress. In September last year when we were doing a mid-term review, it directed us that on this question we are not going to rush ourselves because our political parties that we are in alliance with have resolutions and they are going to elections,” Losi said.
“Cosatu must be thorough. Firstly, the unity of the federation is sacrosanct. The unity of affiliates is important.”
The stakes could not be higher. Cosatu’s National Congress, scheduled for September 14-17 at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, will elect leadership and pass policy resolutions that will determine which way the 1.6 million-member federation leans.
Some affiliates have already taken sides. Others want Cosatu to break with tradition and support the SACP, arguing that the Communist Party more faithfully represents workers.
A breakaway would be a body blow to the ANC with just weeks to go before local government elections.
Losi was at pains to stress neutrality.
“Every union has the responsibility to canvas this discussion within itself and among the federation. We have set ourselves a path where when we get to this congress, this discussion will be on the debate floor where unions will have a thorough discussion on the issue,” she said.
“You would have heard that the alliance — the SACP, Cosatu, the ANC and Sanco — reaffirmed the importance of the alliance.”
First deputy president Mike Shingange echoed that line on Saturday, insisting Cosatu respects the SACP’s decision to contest while remaining committed to the ANC.
“Even with the SACP contesting elections, and Cosatu respects the decision of the SACP to contest elections, that is why the Central Committee of Cosatu, the 8th Central Committee, directed us to convene the Alliance Political Council so that our political alliance partners can find modalities on how they are going to contest elections in a manner that they will… So, the SACP will contest elections, the ANC will contest elections, what are the modalities of doing that,” Shingange said.
The balancing act was directed by Cosatu’s Central Committee, which has already held two meetings of the Alliance Political Council.
“Directed by our central committee meeting we have had two meetings to say to them that the unity of Cosatu is sacrosanct and this federation must not be divided on the basis of who we are going to choose because there are issues of workers who are central and important,” Losi said.
“We have a responsibility to unite workers where they are organised. So this issue must not be the issue when we get to the national congress. It’s just part of the discussion. There are unions that have taken a decision and they are correct because of their mandate structures.”
The federation’s dilemma comes at a time of wider political and social strain.
A source within the alliance said that if Cosatu endorses the ANC outright, it would be risking losing its left flank to the SACP.
“If Cosatu backs the SACP, it risks rupturing the Tripartite Alliance that has governed South Africa since 1994.
“For now, we know its leadership is buying time, insisting that unity is non-negotiable, however. We have made a decision that we cannot at any cost wait for the elections before we have that conversation,” he said.
