The Citizen writes that nationwide marches on Wednesday by labour federation Cosatu and the SA Communist Party (SACP) were more than a factional battle for the soul of the ANC – they were about genuine issues that affected the whole country.  

They were also the start of a mass mobilisation against President Jacob Zuma in the run-up to the ANC’s electoral conference in December, Ebrahim Fakir of the Auwal Socio-Economic Research Institute said.  The marchers demanded that Zuma step down and an end to state capture linked to Zuma’s friends, the Gupta family.  Fakir said the majority of South Africans were impacted by corruption, state capture, job losses and underperformance by the country’s economy under Zuma.  Analyst Andre Duvenhage, from Potchefstroom North-West University campus, said the action was clearly a mobilisation against Zuma and Dlamini-Zuma, who aspired to succeed him.  Although labour and business did not see eye to eye around the negotiating table, they seemed to agree on the need for Zuma to go, he stated.  That many employers released their workers to participate in the protests showed their support for the action.  The labour agenda was said no longer to be only about wages and jobs, but had become highly politicised.

• Read this report by Eric Naki in full at The Citizen
• See too, Joburg Cosatu marchers frustrated over the better life that hasn’t come, at The Citizen

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page