COSATU Gauteng Press Statement on the Outcome of the 2014 National and Provincial Election and the Appointment of the Gauteng Premier

COSATU in Gauteng welcomes the outcome of the national and provincial elections and declares that these elections where free, fair and peaceful with the exception of few reported incidents. We welcome and congratulate the job well done by the IEC and believe that some lessons need to be learned from some of the unfortunate situation as reported in areas such as Tshwane, Alexandra and Diepsloot. We strongly believe that the IEC and the Police must go to the bottom of these incidents.

We wish to further congratulate the ANC lead alliance for the 62% victory at the National level of which many parties across the world envy and such demonstrate our believe that our people are aware that only the revolutionary alliance is capable of leading the democratic state to advance and deepen the National Democratic Revolution and the current conjuncture.

We also wish to congratulate the ANC lead alliance in Gauteng by attaining the 53% victory under very difficult and challenging election ever held in the province. Many parties had dreamed of dislodging the people`s movement and govern the province and such attempts have came to zero. We salute the PEC, REC and all structures of the alliance for fighting the battle up until the last count. We salute the Moses Kotane Brigade for their sacrifices and hard work in ensuring that we retain the province under the leadership of the ANC lead alliance.

We are also mindful of the difficulties encountered during the campaign process and commit ourselves to be part of the solution in addressing the underlying grievances of our people and would ensure that the upcoming administration develop a concrete plan to respond to the objective conditions affecting our people in the province and in particular the poor and the working class.

We also think that the results would enable the alliance to deeply reflect on the challenges facing the province and in particular the working class community who had delivered this victory to the movement.

We also think that it would be critical for the alliance as a whole to reapply its mind on the question of E-Tolls, Labour Brokers, wage subsidy and many other pertinent questions in the province.

We also welcome the decision of the ANC NEC to confirm Cde David Makhura to be the Premier of Gauteng. We wish to acknowledge the work that has been done by the previous Premier and wish her well in the next deployment that the movement will task her to do.

We believe that Cde David Makhura will lead the province to face the current difficulties facing the people of Gauteng. We also know that such a difficult task does not rest with him as an individual but it will require the collective efforts of all the motive forces in the revolution including the people of Gauteng as a whole.

We are hoping that he will ensure that the Executive Council is composed of cadres who have capacity and ability to unleash the radical phase of the National Democratic Revolution in the Province.

The ANC lives and the ANC leads.

- See more at: http://www.cosatu.org.za/show.php?ID=8795#sthash.KqKsyRS1.dpuf