Tripartite alliance meets to iron out issues

The three-day tripartite meeting will take place in Kempton Park

The Congress of South African Trade Unions' (Cosatu) push for greater representation on the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC) as well as on economic and labour market policies will dominate talks at today's Alliance Summit. The three-day meeting will take place in Kempton Park.

Delegates will include senior representatives from the ANC, Cosatu and the SA Communist Party (SACP). The meeting comes at a time when members of the tripartite alliance are attempting to redefine their relationship following an ideological push to the left during the ANC's elective conference at Polokwane in December last year.

Political analysts agree that the summit will act as a barometer of whether the SACP and Cosatu enjoy a greater say in the ANC's decision-making processes. Both organisations played a leading role in having Jacob Zuma, Gwede Mantashe and other senior ANC leaders elected to the ruling party's top ranks at Polokwane.