By Odwa Bafana Mkentane
Former COSATU trade unionist and political writer, Dr Ebrahim Harvey, says the labour federation is facing a deepening crisis ahead of its 15th National Congress, which gets underway on Monday. Harvey says the recent suspension of COSATU first deputy president Mike Shingange by his union, NEHAWU, has added to the challenges facing the federation as it prepares for the crucial congress.
Speaking to VOC Mews, political writer and analyst Dr Ebrahim Harvey says the COSATU crisis is being driven by internal leadership tensions, the SACP’s decision to contest the November local government elections independently, and the suspension of NEHAWU president Michael Shingange, who was expected to challenge Zingiswa Losi for the COSATU presidency.
The developments come as South Africa faces a broader political and economic crisis, making COSATU’s upcoming congress particularly significant.
“Firstly, you must remember that COSATU now has around 1.6 million members. One of the big challenges for COSATU is that the SACP has decided that it is tired of being a convenient electoral cannon for the ANC, largely, although not totally, because it wants to make some important gains. The SACP is now contesting the November local government elections independently. There have historically been strong ties between COSATU and the SACP, so this is a huge development. At one stage, the ANC had instructed its members that they were compelled to vote for the ANC and not the SACP. But the SACP is now standing in the elections on its own on 4 November,” said Harvey.
Dr Harvey said this is a huge moment for COSATU, as they are witnessing what could be the biggest crisis in the history of COSATU, not just in post-apartheid South Africa, but probably since the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910.
“We have to see how that is going to play out legally because you cannot contest for any position if you are not a member of an affiliate. So, what is going to happen legally and technically with the decision by NEHAWU to suspend him, I don’t know. We will only be able to see how that develops this week. This country is falling to pieces, except Cape Town, and there are reasons for that. So, this is a very, very big crisis. The country has never been in as much trouble as it is today. It is therefore a very important moment for COSATU,” Harvey said.
Photo: COSATU
