City Press reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa has been given a reprieve by labour federation Cosatu, which has decided not to change its national congress resolution and will continue backing the ANC in the general election on 8 May.
The explosive proposal not to support the ANC was raised by some Cosatu affiliate leaders during the federation’s central executive committee (CEC) meeting last week. David Sipunzi, general secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers, had hinted that the union could decide not to vote for the ANC in the election. Cosatu is at loggerheads with Ramaphosa over his government plans to fix Eskom. But seemingly the suggestion to withdraw support for the ANC in the upcoming polls failed to gain momentum during the CEC meeting. However, it is understood that some Cosatu affiliate leaders told the meeting that the federation, with its 1.6 million members, should engage the SA Communist Party (SACP) to start preparing to contest future elections. Cosatu has a standing resolution to support and help build the SACP. At its national congress last year, Cosatu resolved that all its unions should make resources available to campaign for the ANC.
- Read the full original of Ngwako Modjadji’s report on the above at City Press
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