This December Cosatu will gather to celebrate 25 years of existence as an organization.

In our 8th National Congress in 2003, we adopted the 2015 Programme called, “Consolidating Working Class Power for Quality Jobs- towards 2015”.

This document must be a ‘Bible’ for all Cosatu members. It is important because it reveales everything about our transition and possible challenges in the implementation of the National Democratic Revolution.

The 2015 plan acknowledged the fact that our alliance is omnipotent. It is important to highlight that in the 2015 programme, we committed ourselves to a strong Tripartite Alliance.

This was exactly two years after the infamous ‘briefing notes’ to branches of the ANC.

These were more severe than the latest attempt because it seeked to besmirch Alliance partners, Cosatu and SACP at a branch level.

The attempts to charge Cde Zwelinzima Vavi in the recent times made all leaders of Cosatu to ponder the future.

In my case, all conclusions led me to the 2015 programme. I was not disappointed.

I invite all leaders to read the document because it will help all of us to commit and recommit to the strong Tripartite Alliance.

It will remind us that we said, “Freedom must bring tangible and real benefits to the working class”.

If and when challenges happen to our Alliance, we must remember what Lenin said; “In its struggle for power, the proletariat has no other weapon but organization”.

We must do as the 2015 program commanded us to do, build a strong independent alliance.

The ANC must be strong and continue to be biased towards the working class.

The SACP must be strong and continue to play its vanguard’s role in the National Democratic Revolution.

COSATU must be strong and continue to attract the majority of workers in its fold, and strengthen its role as the conscience of the nation.

How can we forget that it is the power of this organization that returned the ANC to its owners, the branches! When we took that decision in the Central Committee, we sent a strong message to society about what the working class wanted to see happening in its organization, the ANC.

The attempts to charge the General Secretary must not cause us to forget the commitments to the 2015 program, lest we play in to the hands of people who want an ANC with a different bias.

The Cosatu locals must be strong. They must be seized with strengthening our formations, including the Mass Democratic Movement formations.

In the same document, we did warn that there will be provocations. The provocations must be understood for what they are, they are provocations.

If they are not ignored it might lead to serious divisions in the Alliance. We committed ourselves to the ANC by the following this bold statement; “The ANC is our organization and we are not going to throw in the towel and leave it”.

This is a powerful statement and it must not be taken lightly. The bad elements in our movement must not be allowed to re-invent the 2001 briefing notes under any guise.

Political schools
In the same 2015 programme, we stressed political and ideological consciousness for the workers and the people in general.

The once a year political schools in Gauteng are not producing good comrades. The Chris Hani Institute produced brilliant comrades of our revolution in its first and only intake.

It is unfortunate and dangerous that there was no second intake by the institute. We are similar to the ANC when it comes to the need for revival of political education.

We witnessed the danger it can cause to the organization when people are saying “they did not join the struggle to be poor”, moving away from the teachings of President Oliver Reginald Tambo and all other President Generals of these glorious movement, the ANC.

I want to argue that the real shield for Vavi, and all leaders within our alliance, is the people.

If we recruit and involve our members, the branches and locals in our organizational and political work, no force can stand against us.

Cosatu must ensure that the General Secretary is capable of doing his work without fear.

The decision of the NWC of the ANC to rethink the issue of the charges against Cde Vavi is welcomed.

The insinuations that, in future, it might be possible to charge leaders of alliance formations are regrettable and unfortunate.

It can lead to silencing genuine concerns of our people or members of the ANC declining leadership positions in SACP and Cosatu. Is that what the ANC want, I do not think so.

The shield for our leaders, the members of our formations must stand up to attempts to weaken our ANC, our Cosatu and our SACP. Aluta Continua.
Cedric Gina is the president of Numsa

Source

Numsa News No 2 2010