South African political leaders are in a time warp of Venezuelan proportions. While the rest of humanity has woken up to implications of a post-Quantitative Easing world, leaders in SA’s ruling tripartite alliance continue going about their business as normal. As the story below illustrates, they continue squabbling for a place at the rapidly emptying trough as though nothing has changed. President Jacob Zuma was dead wrong when predicting the ANC will rule until Christ’s Second Coming. The party needs a minor miracle to avoid getting a massive hiding in next year’s municipal elections. Its mismanagement of the economy and plundering of the national purse in the name of “21st Century Socialism” bears a striking resemblance to what has been happening in South America. Yesterday, Argentinians voted decisively to end their experiment with the ridiculous notion that Lenin and Marx knew best, effecting a double digit swing to bring in a centre-right President. Venezuela is poised to do the same on December 6. And momentum grows in Brazil to impeach corruption-tainted President Dilma Rousseff and send her left-wing party packing. Those reversions to the political mean have everything to do with the economic malaise visited on those countries by ANC-type governments. South Africa is not an island. Instead of squabbling for places at the trough, leaders in the tripartite alliance should be ingesting huge doses of coffee. Which will help them sober up to realise the global tide has turned. Nations which have been riding the easy money economic tide without their swimming trunks are being exposed and ejected. Few are as naked in this respect as SA’s free spending, anti-business Government. – Alec Hogg
By Genevieve Quintal, News24
Johannesburg – The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) will hold its 12th National Congress this week where it will among other things elect new leaders.
The trade union federation has admitted to having a difficult few years.
It has been marred by infighting and divisions between those who support Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini and former general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.
‘Dark period’
This had among other things led to the expulsion of Cosatu’s biggest affiliate, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), in November last year. At the time of its expulsion the union had 32 000 members.
Cosatu also expelled Vavi in March this year.
The trade union federation has also seen its numbers dwindle by a little more than 300 000.
Read also: Vavi: I’m ready to lead an independent trade union, the rival to Cosatu
Earlier this week, acting general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said Cosatu was ready to move out of this “dark period”.
Dlamini is expected to keep his position as Cosatu president.
Ntshalintshali is said to be in the running to take the reins permanently as Cosatu’s next general secretary.
However, he could face off against second deputy president Zingiswa Losi, who is also said to be in the running for the position.
Leadership contest
According to City Press, Cosatu leaders are worried that a bitter contest between the two could cause further fractures in the federation, something it wants to avoid.
Three people could be in the running for deputy general secretary of Cosatu, according to the newspaper.
Read also: Irony of Mpumalanga’s 44% unemployment lost on bleating Cosatu
They were deputy general secretary of Denosa Oscar Phaka, SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) general secretary Mugwena Maluleke and North West regional secretary Solly Phetoe.
Earlier this week, Dlamini, Ntshalintshali and Losi refused to say whether they had been nominated or even accepted nomination for positions.
Cosatu has said it will use this congress to clean house and deal with the lack of unity within the federation and its affiliates as well as the “weak state” of the alliance between itself and the ANC and the SA Communist Party.
President Jacob Zuma and SA Communist Party general secretary Blade Nzimande are expected to address the congress on Monday.
The four-day congress will be held at Gallagher Estate in Midrand, Johannesburg. –Â News24
Source:Â http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/cosatu-congress-to-elect-new-leaders-and-clean-house-20151123
