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The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on President Jacob Zuma to ensure his administration manages issues pertaining to the current strike season with the same degree of decisiveness he displayed in refusing to allow the concerns of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) to indefinitely derail the signing of the Municipal Systems Amendment Bill. It is regrettable that President Zuma allowed SAMWU’s opposition to the Bill, which was assented to by Parliament in April, to delay its being signed into law at all. If this government’s pace of delivery is to be improved, the Zuma administration can no longer allow the ANC’s close union ties to hold government decision making hostage.

The Municipal Systems Amendment Bill is an important piece of legislation that has the potential to start to erode the disastrous impact that cadre deployment has had on local governments’ ability to deliver. However, until the ANC is prepared to abandon cadre deployment altogether, South Africans will continue to pay the price for its determination to prioritize political loyalty above merit and delivery.

President Zuma’s failure to offer decisive leadership during last year’s public service strike, his administration’s decision to placate Cosatu by stalling on the implementation of the wage subsidy proposal, and this government’s determination to maintain high levels of labour regulation highlight the negative impact that tripartite alliance dynamics continues to have on economic growth. For South Africa to achieve the rates of growth and job creation necessary to address chronic poverty and unemployment, the Zuma administration needs to start placing national imperatives above internal political considerations.

There are a number of steps that the majority party can take to prove to South Africans that it is serious about putting their needs first. Denouncing cadre deployment, and showing its support for a Private Members Legislative Proposal submitted by the DA that seeks to hold unions accountable for illegal and undisciplined behaviour by members during strike action, would be vitally important steps in the right direction.