Has the giant fallen? The split within South Africa’s largest trade union federation, COSATU

Sakhela Buhlungu, Africa is a Country

Recent developments in the largest trade union movement in South Africa, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), have been nothing short of extraordinary and cataclysmic. It is now commonly accepted that the ‘giant’ whose arrival was so evocatively declared by (now South African Deputy President and then mineworkers’ union official) Cyril Ramaphosa in 1985 is on its knees. On top of that, all of its dirty linen is now on public display for all to see and scrutinize. The so-called expulsion of the National Union of Metalworkers (NUMSA), one of its largest affiliates, was supposed to be a show trial aimed at asserting the authority of leaders allied to what has been until now the hegemonic ANC/SACP political current within the federation. But the significance of these events is much greater than was intended by those who staged the show trial. This has left many in a state of shock and sadness, with analysts and journalists scrambling for ways to explain the implications of the ‘expulsion’ of the federation’s largest and best resourced affiliate.

How far the mighty Cosatu has fallen

By Sakhela Buhlungu, Sunday Independent

Johannesburg - ‘A giant is born!’ proclaimed Cyril Ramaphosa boldly as he opened the inaugural congress of Cosatu in December 1985. Fast-forward to the eve of the federation’s 28th birthday, and we are witnessing the same giant being reduced to a dwarf within a very short space of time.

How might we explain this cataclysmic turn of events for South Africa’s largest union body?

A Paradox of Victory: COSATU and the Democratic Transformation in South Africa

Books Live

The launch of Prof Sakhela Buhlungu’s A Paradox of Victory: COSATU and the Democratic Transformation in South Africa was a timeous opportunity to reflect on the context of the current labour unrest. The well-attended event was held at the Centre for the Book under the auspices of the Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR) with fascinating presentations from both the author and Tony Ehrenreich, the Western Cape Provincial Secretary of COSATU. The forum was chaired by journalist and struggle veteran, Terry Bell.

Buhlungu, who is a leading sociologist at the University of Johannesburg, reflected on the paradoxical elements inherent in the labour movement. He said that despite the visibility, influence and profile that the unions currently enjoy, a number of things happening behind the scenes indicated weaknesses in the system. “These are invisible to all but specialist observers of the labour movement,” he said.