Cosatu to rattle allies over Cyril

18 September 2016 - 02:02 By QAANITAH HUNTER
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Cosatu is set to officially break ranks with President Jacob Zuma when the federation meets tomorrow, throwing its weight behind a campaign to have his deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, succeed him when his term ends in 2019.

Zuma and his backers are known to prefer the president's ex-wife, AU Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, for the job.

Should the Cosatu central executive committee officially decide at its special meeting tomorrow that it will campaign for Ramaphosa, it would confirm a split within the faction that supported Zuma in Polokwane and Mangaung.

Cosatu has already "endorsed" Ramaphosa for the top job, but recent turmoil within the alliance has further confirmed its decision. The meeting comes after two of the federation's most influential unions, the National Union of Mineworkers and the South African Democratic Teachers Union, publicly expressed their support for Ramaphosa to take over from Zuma.

block_quotes_start We can't be expected to use our resources to campaign for the ANC during elections and be told not to talk about leadership succession block_quotes_end

This view could receive strong opposition from Zuma's cheerleaders in Cosatu, who include its president, S'dumo Dlamini.

Union leaders also want the meeting to adopt a single voice on political developments, as the federation has in the past communicated conflicting messages - especially on allegations that Zuma's cabinet has been captured by the Guptas.

Union leaders are expected to add their voice to the debate on whether Zuma's scandals cost the ANC votes in last month's local-government elections.

The meeting comes as union leaders have admitted they are worried about Cosatu's diminishing influence owing to internal faction battles.

"You can't demand that a skinny man flex his muscles. He doesn't have muscle," said NUM general secretary David Sipunzi.

"We lost 400,000 members at once when Numsa was expelled. We recently also lost Fawu [the Food and Allied Workers Union]. And therefore there is very little muscle to flex."

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Bereng Soke, general secretary of the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union, said the ANC had to follow tradition in allowing its deputy president to succeed the incumbent when the time came.

"We don't deputise for the sake of it. You deputise because you see potential in a person to be a leader," he said.

The ANC has barred its members and affiliated organisations from discussing succession, but a defiant Sipunzi said they would not keep quiet about the matter.

"We can't be expected to use our resources to campaign for the ANC during elections and be told not to talk about leadership succession."

Cosatu affiliates say their lobbying for Ramaphosa should start in earnest, as they believe he is well placed to take over, and has learnt from Zuma's mistakes.

Said Sipunzi: "Those people who say trade unions are outsiders and outsiders must not engage in leadership speculations of the ANC must also say: 'We don't care [about] your dirty votes, workers.'

"They must say it because that's their language of late."

Cosatu leaders said they could not turn a blind eye to Zuma's role in the political turmoil in South Africa.

They said they would discuss the recent public spats between some of Zuma's ministers and his own ill-fated decisions, especially on state-owned enterprises.

hunterq@sundaytimes.co.za

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