Cosatu should form a breakaway party

Hardly a week goes by without reading another blast from Cosatu’s Zwelinzima Vavi against President Jacob Zuma’s wavering leadership style or the ANC’s reluctance to take strong action against some top government official or minister accused of corruption. The string of very public and virulent attacks culminated with the latest criticism at the meeting of Cosatu’s Central Committee in Midrand. In a statement, Vavi agreed with President Zuma that the ANC is in a state of crisis. He also stated that “in other words, we have seen intensification of on-going contestation within the alliance, the ANC and the state, unfolding deepening contradictions and wild zigzagging in the political direction of the country”.

These pronouncements without doubt place Vavi among the leading voices against corruption in our young democracy. He has also positioned himself as the voice of integrity and good corporate governance within the ANC. Ironically this is not a very enviable position to occupy as it can attract irritation and serious personal risk.

The deeper question that Cosatu needs to consider is whether it actually wields sufficient leverage to cause change in the ANC’s ideological and policy direction. In the latest barrage, Cosatu basically put Zuma on watch unless he demonstrates decisive leadership. Vavi knows very well that his threat is without consequence and that the ANC will continue to ignore him.

The only time Cosatu will be able to influence policy change in the ANC is if it wields sufficient electoral mandate to threaten the power relations.

There is no question that the universal desire to defeat and eradicate apartheid provided the critical cohesive force that enabled the tripartite alliance to lead the transition into democracy. Once that objective was achieved, it was going to be just a matter of time before our diverse interests cause fractures in the alliance. The “contestations in the alliance” were therefore predictable.

The incontestable reality is that the alliance under the current terms has reached its sell-by date. Cosatu must face reality and decide to form a worker’s political party and seek a substantial electoral mandate that will give it sufficient leverage to negotiate a strategic alliance based on terms negotiated out of respect and competitive policy positions. This possibility has the potential of injecting vibrancy in the political space and much needed competitive elections. Our democracy can only be richer.

Such a prospect will also clarify answers to the questions like: who really represents the interests and aspirations of the majority poor? Does Cosatu really speak for the poor or the workers who make up its membership? Can the ANC honestly claim to be a party for the poor when the perception exists that it is in fact a middle-class party?

The excuse that the break-up of the alliance will threaten the democratic revolution project is untenable. The opposite is actually true! The revised alliance will have a much firmer foundation and will certainly yield a more robust and predictable policy terrain. The fight against challenges like corruption, HIV/Aids and other social issues will certainly receive more focus and determination. Above all, there will be better prospects for sustainable peace, law and order.