Mantashe abandons Cosatu address after delegates ‘boo’ him

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ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe abandoned his address to trade union federation Cosatu on Monday after some delegates loudly jeered at him, refusing to let him speak.

Cosatu leaders were unable to contain the irate crowd as they demanded that Mantashe, a founding member of the National Union of Mineworkers leave the Gallagher Convention Centre, the venue of the conference. Delegates stood on top of chairs singing and chanting “we are not scared”. Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi and other leaders tried to bring order.

Calls for calm only further agitated the delegates, some of whom held up placards that read “No to austerity budget”. 

The angry scene played out just minutes after Losi pledged loyalty to the ANC  in her opening address to the first day of Cosatu’s national congress. Delegates continued to disrupt proceedings for over 20 minutes while Mantashe and other ANC leaders including Mmamoloko Kubayi and Lindiwe Zulu deliberated with Cosatu’s central executive committee leaders.

Rising friction between the ANC and Cosatu, one of its tripartite alliance partners, was also evident at a workers’ day rally in May when President Cyril Ramaphosa was forced to abandon his planned address at the Cosatu event as members heckled him. 

Ramaphosa’s humiliating exit from the event was a cause of strife between leaders of the two organisations, with ANC officials speculating whether Cosatu’s leaders were behind the heckling, while the labour federation on its part made clear it would not apologise for the incident. 

Ramaphosa had previously enjoyed massive support from Cosatu. While Losi has indicated that Cosatu will remain in the alliance, it remains to be seen whether it will support Ramaphosa for a second term as ANC leader.

Losi was nominated unopposed for re-election during the first day of the congress. Mike Shingange was also nominated unopposed as first deputy president, while Simon Hlungwani and Duncan Luvuno were nominated as second deputy presidents. The delegates nominated Freda Oosthuizen for the treasurer position, Solly Phetoe was nominated for general secretary and Gerald Thwala and Moses Lekota received nomination for deputy general secretaries. 

While Losi criticised the ANC for failing to rid itself of corruption, she added that the party was the only one capable of advancing workers’ rights. Losi said the ANC-led alliance, which also includes the South African Communist Party, faced many challenges but remained the most progressive and relevant political formation to champion the cause of the working class. 

Some political pundits have suggested that the decline of South Africa’s economy could prove fatal to the alliance. 

Cosatu and its rival the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) recently led what was meant to be a national shutdown to protest the country’s “socio-economic crisis”.  

The two federations handed over a memorandum to Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele after members marched to the Union Buildings, detailing their grievances and demands, including a basic income grant of R1 500 and decreases in the cost of food, fuel, electricity and borrowing rates. Trade unions are also opposed to any plans to privatise electricity utility Eskom.

During her address, Losi lambasted opposition parties she accused of failing to pursue the rights of workers, saying they campaigned with the aim of scrapping the minimum wage agreement and repealing progressive legislation.

“The very same opposition parties have consistently, when campaigning, voted against progressive laws in parliament,” she said. Losi said it was vital that the workers defended  their hard won victories and supported the ANC to ensure that they were not sidelined.

Cosatu must help the ANC rid itself of criminal elements if the ruling party was to be saved, Losi said. Pointing to the results of the 2021 local government elections which saw the ANC’s vote dip below 50%, she said this was a clear sign that it must get its act together, deliver quality services, grow the economy, fix Eskom or face a similar loss in 2024 general elections. 

“We are not campaigning for people to go to parliament, we are defending the hard won victories and rights of workers,” she said. 

Addressing some of the challenges faced by Cosatu, Losi said there was a concern around its affiliates. While the central executive committee was making efforts to guide unions, there were challenges centred around leadership and the nature of some sectors. 

Losi raised the alarm over the federation’s struggle to grow its membership, saying it was looking to attract young people and bring more unions to the fold. In order to do this, she said, Cosatu needed to serve its current members well.

The federation is hoping to attract two million members before 2027. Losi said this week’s congress delegates should ponder why only 27% of the workers were unionised. 

Cosatu has been bleeding members since early 2015 when its membership dropped by 324 835. The organisation has a little over 1.5 million members, from 1.8 million in 2015.