COSATU KZN calls for unity after the unnecessary malicious attack on members of NEHAWU by the KZN ANC Provincial Secretary

COSATU in KwaZulu Natal calls for unity among the rank and file, and the motive forces of the people's revolution.

COSATU in the province is appalled by the malicious attack on public servants who are members of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) by the ANC Provincial Secretary, Bheki Mtolo.

NEHAWU held a political school whose outcomes are still pending as they are subject to further engagement within the union and Federation's constitutional meetings. The purpose of the political school was to "develop a comprehensive political programme to respond to the political changes arising from the 2024 general elections and to further engage on the revolutionary theory of Marxist/Leninist as a theoretical arsenal which can be used to understand the world and continually renew our organisation to change the world".

The political school was attended by ANC Secretary General, Comrade Fikile Mbalula who presented on behalf of the ANC. The ANC NEC members also attended this political school. To this end, COSATU KZN does not understand what triggered the attack on workers who are NEHAWU members.

However, we are not surprised because it is not the first assault experienced by the workers at the hands of the ANC Provincial Secretary. In 2022, Comrade Mtolo attacked the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) for merely questioning the instruction for learners to wear cultural attire by the Education MEC.

Municipal workers in the solid waste division were attacked when they staged a march in demand of permanent employment. Municipal workers who are members of the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) were also attacked when they embarked on a strike for fair benchmarking of municipal workers. The Provincial Secretary went viral on media platforms, exerting pressure to eThekwini Municipality to dismiss thousands of workers. Moreover, during the national strike by public servants amid wage negotiations by various unions, NEHAWU was singled out for attack. Now NEHAWU members are attacked because the union had a political school.

COSATU KZN has always understood that the ANC as the leader of society, has always appreciated the important task of the trade union movement in mobilising the workers for the transformation agenda. Contending views and tactical approaches would always transpire. However, historically, leaders of the ANC have equipped themselves with the skills and the mindset to manage these contradictions as part of uniting the people, which is the founding principle of the Congress movement. Our veterans have created platforms in which the contending views in the Mass Democratic Movement could be coordinated. This is what has assisted in uniting the rank and file in the movement.

The ANC in KZN has no appreciation of the worker's role in the development of the economy and the provision of services, and they see no value in workers. According to the ANC in the province, workers must conform to any conditions that are imposed on them, without complaining. The expectation by the KZN ANC leadership has exhibited that there is an expectation for workers to have "a half slice of bread is better than nothing" kind of an attitude.

COSATU KZN sees this as provocation, because in the workplace there are lawfully recognised mechanisms to handle such instances. It is most unfortunate, that while workers sacrifice at great personal cost to build the economy, the system only benefits the elite. Trade unions should not be punished for demanding better conditions of service and for having an interest in the political developments that determine conditions of service.

While COSATU understands that there are challenges regarding service delivery, it fails to see the logic in only blaming workers when service delivery issues require radical address and collective approach. The exoneration of the employer is narrow and unfair considering that we have raised concern about how public service has been undermined during the democratic dispensation. In this unheeded concern, we indicated how the total workforce which was serving the few during apartheid has suffered a blow of about 200 000 reductions during the democratic government, at a time when the demand for services has significantly increased. There are other related factors such as budget cuts due to neoliberal austerity measures, shortage of the tools of trade, unfilled vacancies and shortage of staff, outsourcing of work caused by deployment of inexperienced officials to senior positions, poor conditions of services, workplace safety etc. Conducive platforms must be created to concretely address these challenges, as it is one of the projects in the public service department.

It is also amiss to blame poor performance of Home Affairs, SASSA, Hospitals, Department of Employment and Labour etc. on NEHAWU. These are government departments with public servants who are employed by government. NEHAWU is just one of the many unions in public service and there are some units where NEHAWU does not even have membership. It is wrong for the leadership of the ANC to apply a divide and rule tactic of colonial masters, between the masses. The fault lines in the system must be resolved collectively between labour and the employer. The employer, following proper procedure is empowered to exercise consequence management when there is misconduct, and the union has a right to defend workers. Capable administrators understand this process.

COSATU is worried because this is the debate we should not be having when we are still faced with a serious task of recovering from the negative electoral outcomes in which KZN has suffered a huge blow, and ANC's waning support dropped from 54% with 44 seats to mere 17% with 14 seats, respectively. We are of the view that all the energy and focus must be directed towards recovering from this setback, as we will be preparing for the 2026 Local Government Elections soon. COSATU is of the view that we should be ardently reflecting on all factors that affected the elections, such as the role of the market forces, character and attitude of the leadership, our role as different components of the congress movement and the view of the people about our performance on our commitment to build better life for all in the past three decades of democracy.

KwaZulu-Natal has a sour history of divisions and political violence around areas of South Coast, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Midlands and the northern part of the province, in which lives of comrades were lost. The experience and calibre of our ANC leaders in uniting the people of the province and creating peace, was instrumental. We, therefore, call upon the leadership to never forget this crucial task of protecting the unity of the masses and the motive forces.

We expect the senior structures of the congress movement to urgently intervene in KZN, as the situation has become unsettling, posing a new challenge for the congress movement.

We call on all workers to stand united in defending and advancing their gains. As we are reminded that "workers of the world unite, you have nothing to lose, but your chains".

Issued by COSATU KZN

For more information, please contact:

The Provincial Secretary

Edwin Mkhize

082 399 7756

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