Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - ANC leaders and its members have been disturbed by the internal battles that Cosatu has faced recently and especially during the first day of its congress, the ruling party's national chairperson Baleka Mbete said on Tuesday.
Cosatu's special national congress spent more than nine hours on Monday debating credentials and how they should be voted on.
Unions supporting expelled general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and the National Union of Metalworkers of SA, were not happy with credentials and wanted Cosatu's second deputy president, Zingiswa Losi, and new metalworkers union Limusa removed.
Mbete was meant to address the congress on Monday, but because of the issues surrounding credentials her address had to be postponed to Tuesday.
"The leadership and the entire membership of the ANC has been disturbed greatly by the acrimonious discord within Cosatu in recent times, and I might add, including in the past 24 hours," she told delegates.
"None of the alliance partners and its members can take pride in the disunity threatening to tear apart our beloved trade union federation. When Cosatu hurts, the ANC feels pain too."
Mbete said the African National Congress did not want to see Cosatu diminished to a labour desk of the ruling party.
She said this was why the ANC could not stand by with its arms folded and not step in to help the trade union federation.
This was also why the ANC national executive committee had established a task team, led by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, to assist Cosatu.
"The ANC leadership will continue with this task of assisting the federation in whatever way possible," Mbete said.
She called on unions to refrain from insulting each other publicly.
"We cannot afford to trade insults publicly and assume that it strengthens our position.
"On the contrary it lowers our position in society and our standing amongst forces of the left. We need to express our difference amongst each other in a mature and disciplined manner and within the confines of the federation," Mbete said.
She said history would judge the trade union federation and it dare not fail.
