Congress of the South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Sdumo Dlamini has opened Cosatu’s 11th National Congress by thanking the millions of Cosatu members who he says have built the organisation into a sharper instrument of class war. He says the war has been on-going for 27 years, in the process, giving bosses sleepless nights. Dlamini says there have always been attempts to weaken and destroy Cosatu, but says the workers have also risen and defended the organisation. Dlamini says the congress is open to members to table their views on how the movement should be strengthened moving forward.
In what seems to be the organisation’s attempt to get its house in order, members have been asked to highlight where leadership has deviated as well as what needs to be consolidated. He says an organisation becomes stronger by purging itself.
Dlamini further says the federation movement will never compromise principles to achieve shortcut solutions. According to him, the unfolding damage of capitalism is accompanied by systematic attacks directed at Cosatu and the liberation movement as a whole. He says the glaring failure of capitalism and how governments around the world respond have drawn lines to an open class war.
Dlamini says there have always been attempts to weaken and destroy Cosatu, but says the workers have also risen and defended the organisation.
As he lashed at the widening gaps between the rich and the poor, Dlamini also warned members against demagogues.
Touching on the mining sector, he said it’s interesting that the majority of South Africa’s richest come from that sector. On the Marikana situation, Dlamini says rock drillers work under life-threatening conditions. Thus, he says, they were just demanding a living wage and a share of the country’s wealth.
In closing, the Cosatu president said South Africa should ensure that the state exercises its mandate to break the power of white monopoly capital.
– By Tshepo Tsheole, Midrand
