By Johnathan Paoli
Newly elected Cosatu president Mike Shingange has called for unity within the labour federation and the broader tripartite alliance, urging workers to support both the ANC and the South African Communist Party (SACP) in the November 4 local government elections.
Closing Cosatu’s 15th National Congress at Emperors Palace in Ekurhuleni on Wednesday, Shingange said the federation could not afford further divisions after internal conflict threatened to derail its long-delayed congress.
“When Cosatu is divided, it cannot provide leadership to workers and society. When workers are divided, they cannot emerge victorious in our struggles,” he said.
His remarks underscored the challenge facing the new leadership: maintaining unity within the ANC-SACP-Cosatu alliance while pushing for a more assertive working-class agenda amid disagreements over economic policy and the direction of the Government of National Unity (GNU).
Shingange said the congress had taken place at a critical moment for the federation,
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