Act on Shiceka, says Vavi

President Jacob Zuma should speed up his investigation of allegations that Local Government Minister Sicelo Shiceka abused state resources for personal benefit, Cosatu leader Zwelinzima Vavi said.

It was a shame that South Africa had to wait for more than two months for Zuma to make a decision on Shiceka, he said.

"That's when we call for decisiveness. Leaders must pull up their socks."

Shiceka has been on indefinite sick leave since February. Days before the May local government elections, Zuma promised he would take a decision on Shiceka's fate.

Vavi lashed out at Zuma for failing to act, too, against ANC leaders in Eastern Cape. The education department in the province has been placed under administration.

"What we need is for leadership to go to the Eastern Cape, find out who was responsible and ask them to resign. The cost of the collapse of education is disastrous," Vavi said.

He asked why Zuma was not acting on corruption in Limpopo, Northern Cape and the Nelson Mandela metro in the Eastern Cape.

In his address to the Cosatu central committee meeting, SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande called on delegates to debate and lead discussions instead of criticising the government.

Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel had been mandated to play a vanguard role in the government and Cosatu should help him to explore the weaknesses in the new growth path document, said Nzimande.

"We have urged our alliance partners to join us, not in rubber stamping everything in the document, but to seize the opportunity to consolidate, deepen and defend a new, state-led thrust in economic transformation," he said.