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Midrand - The insinuation by Cosatu president S’dumo Dlamini that the federation’s special national congress had not been anything out of the ordinary was belied not only by his earlier comments and the exclusion of the media, but by a large, albeit hidden, police presence.
Only one uniformed officer was ever seen inside the congress hall, and a single riot policeman in full gear occasionally strolled by.
Dlamini had earlier said there were plans to disrupt the congress, that a “war chest” had been accumulated by dissidents and that delegates would have their minds poisoned by “alcohol and drugs”.
The uniformed captain from the South African Police Service (Saps) who stood for a couple of hours at the back of the hall admitted that Saps was there “because we have heard that you people (delegates) were going to cause trouble”.
But there was no sign of the 50 Saps personnel anywhere near the hall: only two police vans were parked nearby and one was stationed at the entrance to Gallagher Estate. However, at the far end of the estate, in a parking lot, there were another five police vans and one armoured Nyala.
Also very much present at the entrance to the congress were several men, uniformly dressed in black suits, who were obviously deferred to by the bib-wearing “normal” security detail. They were apparently members of the VIP protection unit, drafted in because ANC chairperson Baleka Mbete was scheduled to speak.
Public Works minister Thulas Nxesi, former general secretary of the Democratic Teachers’ Union, also put in an appearance.
