Would a Labour Party unite South Africans?

South African trade unions, as well as those from other African states, received recognition, locally and accross the globe, for refusing to allow a Chinese ship carrying arms to offload its deadly cargo destined for the Zimbabwean conflict. It was an example of how an African Renaissance could produce solutions for African countries if people worked together for their common interest.

In this case, to avoid the Zimbabwean government turning those weapons on their own people for having the audacity to vote out a tyrant.

While President Thabo Mbeki is recognised as the author of the term “African Renaissance” it is in fact the president and the members of the South African Development Community (SADC), and even the African Union (AU), who ensure that the concept is not working on the continent. Simply put — Morgan Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change won the Zimbabwean election – SA, SADC and the AU in the interest of Africda should have stood firm. Our continent needs stability, you’ve lost the election, now take a walk.

Unfortunately, they’ve done everything but that. Instead it has been left to organised labour to show Africans that there can be justice and even an African Renaissance, where powerful groupings do the right thing for Africans and not their cronies.

Let’s explore this further. In Zimbabwe, Zanu-PF, the liberators of that country, have looted, pillaged and murdered it’s citizens year after year in the interest of Zanu-PF and Mugabe. Of course we must not forget self-interest groups from outside the country who also drank from this well.

All was fine for these fat cats until there was nothing left — 80% unemployment, 200 000% inflation, four million in exile. These self-serving opportunists could not wring another crumb or ounce of blood from the long suffering people of Zimbabwe. People who used to be the friendliest in Africa — too nice even to rid themselves of the monster that is Mugabe.

It took a man of immense courage, the son of a carpenter and a bricklayer and the former secretary general of the powerful Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, Morgan Tsvangirai, to hold up his hand and take on Zanu-PF. No mean feat — he has suffered arrest, torture and attempts on his life while, let’s face it, the whole of Africa offered “no diplomacy”. More like “don’t look in our pot and we won’t look in yours”.

Despite all of this and the worst rigging of an election possible, Mugabe and Zanu-PF still managed to lose. This, without the four odd million exiles who would rather live anywhere but under Mugabe, telling the world what they wanted. That is how badly Zimbabweans want to see the back of Mugabe.

Yet instead of telling Mugabe where to go we are hearing talk of a government of national unity and Tsvangirai and Mugabe needing to speak to each other — about what? Mugabe and Zanu-PF must get out. They can give their statements in court. There is nothing to talk about.

As set out above, the trade unions of Africa, primarily the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) have been direct and unequivocal. Mugabe must stand down, human rights abuses must stop and there must be no arms to kill Zimbabweans. In jumped the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu), the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), Afriforum and the rest calling for real justice for Zimbabweans.

Their brother African trade unions also sent a signal to the Chinese ship and Mugabe — tell your ship to take a hike in the interests of Zimbabweans.

This is how Africans should be pulling together — in the interest of Africans and not dictators and cronies.

In Swaziland I watched a programme on the South African Broadcasting Corporation this week in which despondent Swazis said they would not be given a fair vote while the fat cats were living it up at their expense. Up steps a government mouthpiece and accuses Cosatu of inciting the population.

Inciting them to do what? Join together, act in the interests of all Swazis instead of the fat cats? All I can tell those Swazis is that if this is true then at least they now have a chance of rescuing their country from cronyism and self-interest groups.

In South Africa, Cosatu rescued the people’s choice Jacob Zuma from being thrown onto the scrapheap. They, along with the other trade unions, are at the forefront of resisting wholesale price increases, salary increases for the elite while the workers get tossed scraps. Moreover, money is being spent on nonsense like name changes while people are starving.

As an opposition or even a government, a Labour Party would be beholden to the labour force of a country. It therefore serves the interests of the many rather than the few. In addition, it is multiracial as labour crosses all colour lines. No trade union allows discrimination on the basis of race.

Vitally, it would be born post-apartheid and carries none of the baggage that those involved in the struggle currently do.

Best of all it affords the opportunity of finally delivering an African Renaissance as envisaged by Mbeki while sending a clear signal to all political parties — act in the interest of the country or perish at the ballot box.

That’s as it should be.