Vavi warns ANC

Cosatu boss Zwelinzima Vavi yesterday slammed the ANC, saying it could no longer depend on struggle heroes to win its elections.

In a hard-hitting speech only two days before President Jacob Zuma gives his state of the nation address, Vavi said the honeymoon was over.

Speaking at a Cosatu Gauteng shop stewards' council meeting in Soweto, Vavi told the ANC-led government to focus on delivering on its five priority areas: decent jobs, quality education, affordable healthcare, fighting crime and corruption, and rural development.

"We have gone to the people and promised them five priorities.

"In 2014 we can't go to them waving flags and say: 'Remember Chris Hani, Albert Luthuli and Joe Slovo.'

"They will say, 'What else? ... Go away, you are liars. Don't tell us about Luthuli and Mandela, tell us about yourself. Why should we support you?'"

Vavi said that in 2014 voters would no longer be patient but would want results.

He said: "2014 will not be an ordinary election. We will be celebrating 20 years of democracy."

Before Zimbabwe was hit by its political crisis, said Vavi, the country had done better than South Africa because it had improved education and health services.

But South Africa was going the other way, said Vavi, adding that Zimbabwe was hurt by allowing Mugabe to be president for more than 20 years.

He criticised the ANC for its "self-destructing" tendencies.

"The alliance is self-destructing, I've never seen this rate of self-destructing.

"We are on the fast lane to self-destruction. Let's fix our house before it collapses on our heads."

Vavi blamed those who "think they have divine authority to eat on behalf of the masses. The tendency of tenderpreneurs should be exposed and isolated".

Reiterating his call for a March 7 nationwide strike, Vavi said his union federation and all its affiliates would voice their frustration at the government's refusal to ban labour brokers.

"We will strike to demand the banning of labour brokers. If we don't fight this battle now, in no time all of us will be employed by labour brokers."

Instead of banning labour brokers, Vavi said, the government had proposed:

Forbidding labour brokers from employing people for more than six months;

After six months, the employee shall be deemed to be permanently employed;

Equal pay for all employees doing the same job, whether permanently employed or assigned by a under labour broker; and

Labour brokers and employers will be jointly cited in court or in arbitration.

Cosatu Gauteng secretary Dumisani Dakile, said: "We must make sure that, on March 7, there are no clinics operating. Hospitals must come to a standstill. We must make sure that there isn't a single mayor who is made tea by his worker."

Cosatu's main affiliates include the National Union of Mineworkers, SA Municipal Workers' Union, National Union of Metalworkers of SA and the SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union.