The rise and fall of Cosatu: From vanguard to sacrificial lamb

Jay Naidoo, The Daily Maverick

The Cosatu that Elijah Barayi led was answerable only to its members. It never flinched in the face of brutal repression from either the Apartheid state or the bosses. It was a fighting force of organised workers not just on the shop floor, but it militantly espoused the political aspirations in society. Still, it always connected back to the factory floor for its mandates and to report back. That independence, deep in its DNA, gave it the moral fiber and ferocious stamina to endure the battles it faced. Today, it’s a very different organisation.

Careerism is poisoning the lifeblood of Cosatu. Gone are the days when we were inspired by the passion for justice and human dignity. Volunteerism and discipline defined the struggles we fought. As a volunteer organiser in the late Seventies, I remember standing outside the factory gates or hostels from early morning till late at night discussing issues with exhausted workers coming off shifts.

An open letter to Cosatu

By Jay Naidoo, The Daily Maverick

To my colleagues at Cosatu,

I have no authority to tell you what you must do, I know. But my conscience as one of your founding leaders begs me to reflect on the state of our country and nation. 

The Marikana massacre is a deadly body blow to the democratic social fabric, and it leaves my heart heavy with sadness. The weight of the disappointment is staggering as I think back to my political initiation as a teenager, listening to the powerful political narrative of Steve Biko. “We have nothing to lose but our chains.” He presented a bold, courageous and impossible vision of a free South Africa. We were inspired as a generation to stand up and be counted irrespective of the cost. 

Can't you hear the thunder?

by Jay Naidoo, The Daily Maverick

The headlines scream 'Marikana Massacre'; 'Killing Fields of Rustenburg'. Radio and TV Talk shows and social media all display the anger and expose the psyche of a nation badly wounded. The bloodiest security operation since the end of apartheid has left us shocked and asking what went wrong? The reality is, many things went wrong. Way too many things went wrong, for way too long now.

Forward to the New Edition of Emma Mashinini's 'Strikes Have Followed Me All My Life'

by Jay Naidoo, 2012

I clearly remember my first encounter with Emma Mashinini. The indomitable Ma Emma was standing in the hall at Khotso House, the headquarters of the South African Council of Churches – one of the few places we were able to meet – surrounded and dwarfed by workers. She spotted Jayendra Naidoo first, who was then working as an organiser in the Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers’ Union of South Africa (CCAWUSA), and she embraced him warmly. She turned to hug me, too, and as she did, I felt her intense compassion and warmth as she whispered, ‘Welcome my son. Welcome to our family.’ It was, and has remained ever since, an intense and powerful connection.

Jay Naidoo Speaks at the Launch of Cosatu, December 1985

Jay Naidoo: Fighting for Justice

The most remarkable days of my life

a review by Nalini Naidoo, The Witness

PIETERMARITZBURG looms large in Jay Naidoo’s autobiography Fighting for Justice. Cosatu’s first secretary-general and a cabinet minister in Nelson Mandela’s government, he spent a good part of the eighties in the city.

Reading his book you realise that this is where he cut his teeth as a trade union organiser. He fought some of his toughest battles at factories in and around the midlands and won many minor victories, which in retrospect were huge, as workers were generally scared in those days and bosses were tough.

Jay Naidoo discusses his book "Fighting for Justice"