The ANC must rid itself of “corrupt elements” if it is to avoid suffering a crushing defeat at the 2024 general election, Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi said on Monday.
In her address on the first day of the Cosatu conference in Midrand, Losi said the tripartite alliance, like any marriage, “has its ups and downs”, but stressed it remained the best “vehicle to advance the struggle of workers”.
“The ANC and SACP [SA Communist Party] remain the most progressive and relevant political formations to drive the demands of the working class,” she said.
“The ANC is not perfect; it has made serious mistakes, it has battled to clean itself of the demons of factionalism and corruption ... Our task is to defend workers’ hard-won victories. Therefore, we must contest [for] the ANC and the alliance to ensure the voice of workers is heard and not sidelined.”
The tripartite alliance, made up of Cosatu, the SACP and the ANC, is under threat and both Cosatu and the SACP have accused the governing party of pandering to capital and sidelining its allies.
“We must contest the ANC and alliance to ensure the voice of workers is not sidelined. Let’s help the ANC get rid of criminal elements if it wants to be saved,” Losi said in an opening address to the congress.
The congress at Gallager Estate in Midrand kicked off on Monday and will end on Thursday.
Roughly 1,854 voting delegates are said to be in attendance..
“Workers sent a clear message to the ANC in the local elections. If the ANC does not get its act together, deliver quality public services, tackle corruption, fix Eskom, save Metrorail and Transnet ... then we will face a repeat of the disastrous 2021 election results in 2024,” she said.
Losi said workers cannot afford an ANC electoral loss. “Winning the 2024 elections is not about ensuring jobs for comrades in Parliament. It is about defending the hard-won victories and rights of workers. We cannot afford to fail.”
While giving her opening address, Losi also touched on the growing phenomenon of coalition governments in the country.
In Gauteng, the province’s three top metros are run by DA-led multiparty governments, as is the Nelson Mandela Bay metro in the Eastern Cape.
Losi said coalition governments were not about the people or voters. The will of voters was tossed out the window during the coalition talks and replaced by talk about positions.
“Once you go into a government of coalition, voters are discarded. What’s discussed at a table is about what you can give me.
“A government led by the opposition parties will spell the end of the many victories workers have achieved. A coalition led by the ANC will struggle to deliver the demands of workers. We cannot afford to gamble upon the rights of workers,” she said.
For the first time since the dawn of democracy, the ANC suffered devastating losses during last year’s local government elections, dropping to below 50% nationally.
Looking at the national picture, Losi said it was critical for the union federation to strengthen its numbers, grow and reach a membership of two million by its next congress.
She said since their last congress, unemployment had reached a critical level of 46%. “This is our number one crisis. No society can be sustained with one out of two people unemployed, with 70% youth unemployment. We are in danger of creating a permanent class of unemployed.
“Twenty-eight years into democracy, despite all the efforts of government, we remain the world’s most unequal society with rising levels of poverty and indebtedness,” she said.
Losi, who is seeking a second term in office, was nominated unopposed as president of Cosatu. First deputy president Mike Shingange was also nominated unopposed. Current deputy general-secretary Solly Phetoe was nominated unopposed to replace Bheki Ntshalintshali as general-secretary.
Simon Hlungwani and Duncan Luvuno will face off for the second deputy president position while Freda Oosthuizen was nominated as treasurer.
