Johannesburg - ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe on
Thursday referred to Cosatu's "Lula moment" - a call for radical
economic transformation - as the "Zuma moment".
"We want to add to a few issues to make the 'Zuma
moment' a reality," Mantashe said during a debate on Cosatu's
socio-economic report in Midrand, Johannesburg.
The "Lula moment" refers to former Brazilian
president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was in office from 2003 to 2011.
Lula's first term was fraught with difficulty, but in his
second term, he engineered a dramatic turnaround, improving the living
standards of Brazil's working class.
The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) proposal for a Lula
moment was a call for radical economic transformation.
Cosatu was holding its four-day national congress. Thursday
was the last day.
The ANC has its national elective conference in Mangaung in
December, where President Jacob Zuma was expected to run for a second term as
party president.
Some affiliates at the congress agreed with Mantashe's call
for a "Zuma moment".
Earlier, delegates sang in favour of Zuma, holding two
fingers up, indicating a second term.
According to Cosatu's congress rules, singing in support of
leaders was allowed but "showing of signs that seeks to prematurely open
the debate on leadership of the ANC" was not allowed.
Nominations for the ANC's elective conference open on
October 1.
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