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At a dinner in Washington in 1982, the President of the American Federation
of Labour - Council for Industrial Organisation (AFL-CIO), Lane Kirkland,
declared: "Nothing so frightens totalitarian regimes, left to right, as the
power of workers united in a free trade union movement."

Mr Kirkland then proceeded to bestow on me, and posthumously on Dr Neil
Aggett, the George Meaney Human Rights Award. To me, he said: "In
recognition of your outstanding leadership of the black people of South
Africa in their struggle for equality, for your relentless opposition to the
brutal system of apartheid, for your consistent advocacy of non-violence as
an instrument of change in South Africa in spite of the unprecedented
provocations and violence facing you, for your dedication to the ongoing
struggle for human rights, and for your unwavering commitment to freedom for
all peoples."

But the words that remained with me for years to come were his initial
declaration of the power inherent in the trade union movement to strike fear
into a totalitarian regime.

I am certain I would be lambasted if I called South Africa's Government
under the African National Congress a totalitarian regime. But it would be
fair to say that the ANC is bent on centralising all power within its own
hierarchy, that it secures political power through propaganda campaigns, and
that it is marked by personality cultism, the desire for control over the
economy, control over the media and restriction of information.

It would also be more than fair to say that the ANC is terrified of COSATU,
its trade union alliance partner.

For eighteen years, the ANC has bowed to pressure from COSATU. President
Mbeki's administration abandoned the promising policy of Growth, Employment
and Redistribution (GEAR) when COSATU took to the streets shouting "We do
not want GEAR! Asifuni GEAR!" GEAR gave way to the Accelerated and Shared
Growth Initiative of South Africa. But COSATU then developed its own
economic policy, which continually reroutes any positive economic direction
emerging in South Africa.

So it is not surprising that the ANC Government is paralysed to implement
the Youth Wage Subsidy, despite the overwhelming public support behind this
job creation initiative, because COSATU opposes it. It is not surprising,
but it is, as the IFP's Youth Brigade points out, extremely selfish. If
COSATU's core interest is job protection, rather than job creation, why is
it standing in the way of a job creation strategy while South Africa
flounders in an unemployment crisis?

This is not just about unemployment. It is about gross inequality and severe
poverty. We are talking about people who have no income, no means of
production, no opportunity, no security and no prospect of change. And that
is a secondary crisis to having no food, no clothes and no shelter. I wonder
what the late President of the AFL-CIO would make of the latent power of the
unemployed, united in a free movement, to threaten the power of our
Government.

What could happen if every unemployed South African joined a movement to
withhold support from the ruling Party until it makes good on its endless
promises to create jobs? There is power in the people. If the people stood
united and said, "No Support Without Action", the ANC would surely move very
quickly to create even the semblance of political will to act.

Why do people accept the ANC's rallying call to vote for the ANC so that the
ANC can create jobs, when year after year after year the ANC fails to create
jobs? The ANC demands support before they are willing to earn it and, once
they have support, they see no need to earn it.

The ANC has heard the cry of the people and recognised that jobs are tied to
votes. But they have twisted their response into a policy of cadre
deployment, whereby political affiliation becomes the pre-requisite for
appointment.

Cadre deployment is crippling the institutions of Government. It is evident
is municipalities across South Africa, where qualifications and competence
are secondary considerations to whether or not the applicant for a position
is a card-carrying member of the ANC.

It is hardly surprising that 95% of municipalities across the country have
failed to receive a clean audit report. Maladministration and mismanagement
of funds are natural consequences when municipalities are staffed with
unqualified, unskilled, inexperienced cadres.

I was amazed by a malicious media article concerning the Ulundi
Municipality, which is among the 5% that secured a clean audit report from
the Auditor General. The article repeated accusations by the ANC and NFP
that the Municipal Manager was only appointed because she is my daughter.

This despite the fact that for five years she competently managed one of
only thirteen municipalities across South Africa that is not hanging its
head in shame right now over its audit report. Ulundi Municipality has in
fact received unqualified audit reports every year since 2007.

The Mayor made a comprehensive response to the accusations, describing the
skills, experience and qualifications that her Municipal Manager brings to
the table. She pointed out that she was the preferred candidate based on the
interview scorecards of NFP, ANC and IFP panellists. But more than any of
this, under her management, Ulundi Municipality has excelled.

Even in the Western Cape, where the Democratic Alliance heralds itself as
the most efficient administration in South Africa, 28 of its 30
municipalities failed to receive a clean audit report.

ANC led municipalities fared worse still, with five provinces failing in
every single municipality. So it is ill-advised for my political opponents
to point fingers at my daughter because she is my daughter. It only
highlights how genuine cadre deployment is destroying governance in South
Africa.

The problem is, for every person who finds employment based on their ANC
membership, five or six more people are brought into the ANC's fold.
Because, in South Africa, an employed family member generally supports five
or six dependents who are old enough to work, but cannot find jobs. This
phenomenon is perpetuated by South Africa's high level of unemployment. One
wonders then if the ANC has sufficient motivation to address unemployment.

If power is more important to the ruling Party than the dignity and
wellbeing of the people, God help our country.