Cosatu says workers’ anger is behind May Day heckling

The cancellation of speeches at Cosatu’s official May Day rally on Monday reflects the anger of workers towards the ANC-led government and factionalism within the alliance‚ the trade union federation said on Wednesday.

Cosatu’s comment came as the ANC hit out at Gupta-owned broadcaster ANN7 for its allegation that Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa‚ ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe and treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize had "pushed" President Jacob Zuma to attend the rally.

The official Workers’ Day programme came to an abrupt halt after Zuma and Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini were heckled and booed‚ and workers prevented the two men from addressing them.

Cosatu has declared its support for Ramaphosa and has called for Zuma to step down.

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Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said on Wednesday that what happened on Monday in the Free State was regrettable and unacceptable‚ but reflected that workers had "reached a dead end".

"[They] are angry with the factionalised state of the ANC and the dearth of leadership in the movement‚" he said.

Ramaphosa‚ Mantashe and Mkhize were the only ANC leaders who were not booed or heckled at Cosatu May Day rallies held across the country.

ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said such reporting by ANN7 was habitual and typical.

He said the deployment of leaders to events was a collective decision taken by national officials.

"It was a decision taken by the national officials fully aware of the potential for heckling and other disruptions‚" Kodwa said. "Regardless of the potential for discord‚ the leadership felt it necessary and correct that invitations as received from Cosatu were honoured and the ANC message calling for unity of the alliance be delivered."

• Zuma’s backers promise to ‘boo Ramaphosa back’President Jacob Zuma’s faction has vowed to destabilise Cyril Ramaphosa’s unofficial campaign‚ which has been gaining momentum‚ after the head of state was humiliated in Bloemfontein on Monday. 

Cosatu‚ whose senior officials are split on support for Zuma‚ had claimed that a "rented crowd" was sent to Bloemfontein with the purpose of disrupting the event.

These issues would be raised during a special central executive committee meeting.

"The workers are also tired of the ANC and its government’s failure to deal honestly and decisively with issues like e-tolls‚ labour brokers‚ unemployment and retrenchments‚" said Pamla.

"We have repeatedly made it clear to the ANC that workers are tired of remaining enslaved in waged labour‚ while our economy remains highly monopolised and foreign owned and also at the hands of a white minority."

He said the ANC and its government had done little to transform the economy and had not decisively intervened to stem the unfolding de-industrialisation and job losses.

Because of the disruption to Monday’s event‚ Cosatu for the first time was unable to deliver its official May Day message to the workers.

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Dlamini said if he had the chance‚ he would have warned workers of "immense" challenges ahead in light of what he said was worsening exploitation by employers.

"We wanted to talk about the campaign against labour brokers. We have not yet won that battle because employers are not even implementing the three months’ regulation‚" he said‚ referring to the federation’s call for labour brokers to be banned.

Meanwhile‚ Pamla dismissed allegations by some in the ANC that Cosatu’s official endorsement of Ramaphosa was to blame for what had transpired at the May Day rally.

He also accused the ANC of "lacking the appetite" to reprimand its own structures‚ which had openly campaigned for Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to take over as president of the party.

"It is these double standards and factionalised reasoning that is testing the patience of the workers and ultimately eroding the discipline and the comradeship that has united the alliance for decades‚" he said.

-TMG Digital/BusinessLIVE