Alliance partners have criticised the ANC’s national executive committee over what they say is a failure to take decisive action against certain municipalities not paying their workers, as well as against individuals “dividing” the party.
This as the party celebrated its 112th anniversary at the Mbombela stadium in Mpumalanga on Saturday, with ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa addressing more than 70 000 people in attendance.
The celebrations could be the last the ANC see as the ruling party; it faces the toughest electoral contest since it was elected to govern the country 30 years ago.
The first salvo was fired by Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi, who said the ANC and its president, Ramaphosa, should start taking workers’ issues seriously, and said the party and its allies should go back to the table and sort out problems as an alliance.
“We want you (Ramaphosa) to take decisive action on the 36 municipalities that have run out of money and are not paying their workers…The government owes workers and they must be paid what is due to them.
“We need to start working together because we are not in an alliance with the courts, but in an alliance with the ANC,” she said.
Losi was referring to workers taking the government to court, or vice versa, as a result of non-payment and municipal worker protests.
“We want the government to acknowledge that it owes public servants unfulfilled agreements,” she said.
Speaking after Losi, SA Communist Party general secretary Solly Mapaila slammed monopoly capital, which he said the government (led by the ANC) was leaning towards.
“This revolution can no longer be compromised. The ANC must respond decisively because they have been failed by the monopoly capital system,” Mapaila said.
He also launched an attack on the NEC for not taking decisive action against former president Jacob Zuma’s decision to openly campaign for the newly-formed uMkhonto weSizwe party.
“I don't know why the ANC is dilly-dallying,” he said.
Mapaila was referring to the NEC not taking action against Zuma for joining another party.
“Whoever goes against the revolution must be dealt with decisively,” he said. | Sunday Independent