The Citizen writes that the collapse of a Workers’ Day rally in Bloemfontein on Monday, where ANC President Jacob Zuma was booed and shown the door, should serve as a “wake-up call” and showed signs of a crumbling ANC-led tripartite alliance.  

SA Communist Party (SACP) leader Blade Nzimande and political analysts cautioned that the display showed signs of a now divided alliance.  The rally ended abruptly after Zuma arrived to boos and heckling from members of Cosatu’s affiliate unions.  Political economy analyst Zamikhaya Maseti said the chaos clearly showed Cosatu was losing touch with the workers.  Although some affiliates made their views known and advised Cosatu that they did not want Zuma to address the rally, Cosatu president Dlamini did not listen, he said.  Somadoda Fikeni, another analyst, said both the ANC and Zuma were to blame for the chaos as Cosatu leadership should have advised the ANC to send someone who was seen as neutral.  ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said the problem manifested because of premature pronouncements of leadership preferences by some alliance members.

• Read this report by Eric Naki in full at The Citizen
• See too, Workers Day rally collapse the 'ultimate wake-up call', says Nzimande, at IOL News

And also, ANC says Cosatu's disrupted rally not about Zuma, at eNCA

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page