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THE paper war is in full swing with the publication of discussion documents between the ANC and Cosatu and the SACP in the run-up to the ANC’s general council meeting in Durban next week.
Last week Cosatu published two fairly substantial discussion documents with stimulating titles on its website: The Alliance at a Crossroads: The battle against a predatory elite and political paralysis and Are the Polokwane Economic Policy Resolutions being implemented by government?
These are not proposals to the ANC; rather, they are internal strategy discussions.
On Tuesday Cosatu will announce its long-promised plan for economic growth. This will be submitted to the ANC.
It would have been on the table in April, but if one looks at the two discussion documents it becomes clear what the hold-up was: ties between the ANC government on the one hand and Cosatu-SACP on the other have dramatically deteriorated since January this year.
After the Polokwane conference there was apparently a honeymoon period, in which the alliance together managed a migration from the Mbeki year, when agreement had been reached on a progressive election manifesto, a successful election was held, the alliance partners were consulted about the appointment of a new cabinet and successful summits between the alliance partners were held in June 2008 and May last year.
But since the middle of last year conservative bureaucrats, especially in the presidency and the treasury, have pushed for old policies and blocked the new ones. They were supported by certain members of cabinet.
Cosatu’s growth strategy would have been discussed in January this year at the cabinet's lekgotla, but this did not take place.
Then it would have been discussed at a second lekgotla in July, but it was once again swept off the table.
Key personnel have also left the presidency and some state departments.
Members of cabinet who have to implement industrial policy, economic growth, rural development and the national health insurance are struggling. Meanwhile the role of tenderpreneurs and the ANC Youth League has become increasingly clear and attempts are being made to isolate ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, who comes from the trade union movement.
In April a bilateral meeting was held between the ANC and Cosatu, but there it became evident that the ANC was deeply divided and unable to reach decisions about important policy issues. Cosatu was also excluded from participating in the economic formation committee, a subcommittee of the national executive committee (NEC) to which Cosatu had previously been invited since the Polokwane conference.
Strategic blow
On Tuesday Cosatu will publish its economic growth document without having it approved by the government or ANC.
It is therefore an un-negotiated, somewhat unpolished document. It will contain rough economic policy proposals that have not been tested against the realities of technocrats and bureaucrats.
This is a pity, because it means that it can easily be shot down as socialist wishful thinking.
The proposal for a tax for the super-rich who earn more than R400 000 a year is an example of what has already been leaked.
Instead of pointing out its shortcomings, one should instead look at the possible proposals that can indeed be implemented.
These will be economic policy proposals that carry the mandates for by far the country’s biggest civil organisation.
Just after the Polokwane conference Cosatu decided to allow as many as possible of its members to join the ANC to strengthen its influence in the party, but in the latest discussion documents this has been abandoned.
The discussion document says that even members of the ANC play a minimal role in describing strategy. NEC subcommittees and technocrats draw up strategy documents without taking into account the views of ordinary members.
Discussions on policy do not take place at branch level. Workers' participation at some branches is moreover frustrated by hostility from the leaders in the branches concerned.
And then an important acknowledgement follows, saying if Cosatu takes the ANC on today on a class basis, will it succeed in getting a working-class orientated leadership and programme set up? Analyses of what happens in the provinces indicate that the organised working class are not at this stage the driving force in the ANC.
The best strategy at this stage is to launch a massive and intensive anticorruption campaign, the document declares. Cosatu wants to organise a summit in civil society where it can create an anticorruption institution.
There should be a corruption watchdog with the ability to conduct provisional investigations, and with its own lawyers, accountants and auditors.
A strategic blow needs to be delivered against the predatory elite by, for example, having the Mittal transaction reversed or by taking legal steps to nullify it.
The document continues to say that serious research into the nature of the problem needs to be set in motion, about the size and nature of this new elite group, its contacts in government, their relations with various factions in the ANC, their relations with elements of the big business sector and their relations with foreign business people and governments.
In addition Cosatu wants to set up a coalition for human rights and worker rights between civil organisations in order to isolate the agenda of the predator elite.
It says it should mount resistance to attempts to militarise the community, to create securocratic paranoia or anything fostering a climate of oppression of people wanting to promote their rights.
South Africans in minority groups who are feeling isolated will be wise to take note and think about this.
- Sake24.com
For business news in Afrikaans, go to www.sake24.com.
Last week Cosatu published two fairly substantial discussion documents with stimulating titles on its website: The Alliance at a Crossroads: The battle against a predatory elite and political paralysis and Are the Polokwane Economic Policy Resolutions being implemented by government?
These are not proposals to the ANC; rather, they are internal strategy discussions.
On Tuesday Cosatu will announce its long-promised plan for economic growth. This will be submitted to the ANC.
It would have been on the table in April, but if one looks at the two discussion documents it becomes clear what the hold-up was: ties between the ANC government on the one hand and Cosatu-SACP on the other have dramatically deteriorated since January this year.
After the Polokwane conference there was apparently a honeymoon period, in which the alliance together managed a migration from the Mbeki year, when agreement had been reached on a progressive election manifesto, a successful election was held, the alliance partners were consulted about the appointment of a new cabinet and successful summits between the alliance partners were held in June 2008 and May last year.
But since the middle of last year conservative bureaucrats, especially in the presidency and the treasury, have pushed for old policies and blocked the new ones. They were supported by certain members of cabinet.
Cosatu’s growth strategy would have been discussed in January this year at the cabinet's lekgotla, but this did not take place.
Then it would have been discussed at a second lekgotla in July, but it was once again swept off the table.
Key personnel have also left the presidency and some state departments.
Members of cabinet who have to implement industrial policy, economic growth, rural development and the national health insurance are struggling. Meanwhile the role of tenderpreneurs and the ANC Youth League has become increasingly clear and attempts are being made to isolate ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, who comes from the trade union movement.
In April a bilateral meeting was held between the ANC and Cosatu, but there it became evident that the ANC was deeply divided and unable to reach decisions about important policy issues. Cosatu was also excluded from participating in the economic formation committee, a subcommittee of the national executive committee (NEC) to which Cosatu had previously been invited since the Polokwane conference.
Strategic blow
On Tuesday Cosatu will publish its economic growth document without having it approved by the government or ANC.
It is therefore an un-negotiated, somewhat unpolished document. It will contain rough economic policy proposals that have not been tested against the realities of technocrats and bureaucrats.
This is a pity, because it means that it can easily be shot down as socialist wishful thinking.
The proposal for a tax for the super-rich who earn more than R400 000 a year is an example of what has already been leaked.
Instead of pointing out its shortcomings, one should instead look at the possible proposals that can indeed be implemented.
These will be economic policy proposals that carry the mandates for by far the country’s biggest civil organisation.
Just after the Polokwane conference Cosatu decided to allow as many as possible of its members to join the ANC to strengthen its influence in the party, but in the latest discussion documents this has been abandoned.
The discussion document says that even members of the ANC play a minimal role in describing strategy. NEC subcommittees and technocrats draw up strategy documents without taking into account the views of ordinary members.
Discussions on policy do not take place at branch level. Workers' participation at some branches is moreover frustrated by hostility from the leaders in the branches concerned.
And then an important acknowledgement follows, saying if Cosatu takes the ANC on today on a class basis, will it succeed in getting a working-class orientated leadership and programme set up? Analyses of what happens in the provinces indicate that the organised working class are not at this stage the driving force in the ANC.
The best strategy at this stage is to launch a massive and intensive anticorruption campaign, the document declares. Cosatu wants to organise a summit in civil society where it can create an anticorruption institution.
There should be a corruption watchdog with the ability to conduct provisional investigations, and with its own lawyers, accountants and auditors.
A strategic blow needs to be delivered against the predatory elite by, for example, having the Mittal transaction reversed or by taking legal steps to nullify it.
The document continues to say that serious research into the nature of the problem needs to be set in motion, about the size and nature of this new elite group, its contacts in government, their relations with various factions in the ANC, their relations with elements of the big business sector and their relations with foreign business people and governments.
In addition Cosatu wants to set up a coalition for human rights and worker rights between civil organisations in order to isolate the agenda of the predator elite.
It says it should mount resistance to attempts to militarise the community, to create securocratic paranoia or anything fostering a climate of oppression of people wanting to promote their rights.
South Africans in minority groups who are feeling isolated will be wise to take note and think about this.
- Sake24.com
For business news in Afrikaans, go to www.sake24.com.
