So now the "wars" start and who ultimately gets to finance the who sebang! Well you and I as the tax payers do of course - why would it be any different than usual. It will be interesting though as the fight hots up to see how everyone positions themselves at the start and where they end up - could be in a totally different corner to the one that they started in. I guess time will tell.
Regards
Nikki
Boyd Webb
December 13 2006 at 12:00PM
The Congress of South African (SA) Trade Unions has been accused of corruption and trying to buy support to influence the SA National Civic Organisation's leadership election.
The claim was made by outgoing Sanco president Mlungisi Hlongwane on Tuesday at the start of the embattled civic organisation's national conference in Bloemfontein.
Hlongwane, who has come under fire from within his own organisation for his perceived support for President Thabo Mbeki, said Sanco would not take sides in the ANC's 2007 succession battle.
In a hard-hitting address to more than 1 000 delegates, Hlongwane, who was previously suspended for uttering statements not supported by the entire leadership, accused Cosatu of trying to buy Sanco's support.
"One sad political moment emerges that Cosatu will even be keen to fund the Sanco conference on condition that certain leaders must not be elected as Sanco leaders," he claimed.
It has been revealed that the Sanco conference was cut by a day due to financial problems.
Hlongwane blamed certain groups who had promised sponsorships for failing to honour their agreements at the last minute."Corruption is not only when people defraud or accept a bribe. It is counter-revolutionary political opportunism, and yes, corruption, when leaders offer cash bribes for political positioning," he told the stunned audience.Sanco is the orphan in the alliance with the ANC, Cosatu and the South African Communist Party - which is generally regarded as the tripartite alliance - because of the civic organisation's almost non-existent role.
Hlongwane questioned when last Sanco members heard Cosatu or the SACP shouting "Viva Sanco" at gatherings, and took exception to the alliance being referred to as the tripartite alliance, which necessarily excluded his organisation.
"Why does the leadership of Cosatu and the SACP at national level undermine their own national decision to assist in building Sanco, and yet have consistently since 2002 voiced their own dissatisfaction over Sanco being a part of the alliance?" he asked.
He said Sanco's revolutionary allies continued to treat the organisation with disdain, despite surveys that showed it was Sanco that held the fabric of the alliance together.
He said 29 percent of ANC members were also Sanco members compared to the 14 percent who were also Cosatu members and 16 percent who were SACP members.
"It tells us one thing, and that is Sanco can influence the outcome of the ANC elections in 2007," said Hlongwane.
He voiced his clear support for the ANC and in particular praised Mbeki, whom he described as the "most advanced and brilliant of cadres ever produced".
Hlongwane, who has long been viewed as a staunch Mbeki ally, recently came under fire for supporting calls for the president to stand for a third term.
His recent deployment as mayor in the Vaal region of Gauteng was seen by some as a reward for supporting Mbeki and for positioning Sanco as a neutraliser in an alliance where Cosatu and the SACP often criticise the government's delivery record.
Hlongwane made it clear that Sanco would not interfere in the ANC election process.
He said the ANC branches and its leadership would determine who leads the ruling party.
Pointedly referring to alliance partners, he said Sanco would never tolerate the burning of T-shirts bearing the face of any of its leaders and would refrain from fanning divisions within the ANC.
Cosatu on Tuesday night rejected the allegations, describing these as "totally absurd". Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven denied that the federation had ever offered to finance Sanco members in return for a certain vote.
Cosatu's first deputy president, Sdumo Dlamini, was expected to address the conference on Tuesday.
This article was originally published on page 3 of The Star on December 13, 2006
No comments:
Post a Comment