Cosatu: Congress of South African Trade Unions CEC political discussion paper: The Alliance at a crossroads – the battle against a predatory elite and political paralysis (08/09/2010)

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Published: 08 Sep 2010

Cosatu: Congress of South African Trade Unions CEC political discussion paper: The Alliance at a crossroads – the battle against a predatory elite and political paralysis (08/09/2010)

This political discussion paper takes stock of developments since the ANC's historic 52nd Conference at Polokwane. It concludes that while the perspectives advanced at Polokwane represented a major advance for the working class, battles which have unfolded since then represent a serious threat, not only to workers, but also to the future of the country as a whole.

It traces the roots of these developments to the policies and practices adopted by the previous leadership of the ANC and government, in concert with big business, particularly post 1996, which has led to a perversion of the culture of the movement into one of crass materialism, and self-interest. It argues that the Alliance, and indeed the country, is at a crossroads, and that if we fail to arrest the current trajectory, we face being plunged into a serious crisis.

This situation confronts COSATU, the Alliance, and progressive civil society, with some hard choices. One thing is clear - we cannot sit back and do nothing; and we cannot continue pursuing old strategies if they are not working. We have to act, and if necessary, act differently.

The question is: what is to be done? In answering this question we attempt a number of things: Firstly, to take stock of where the country is post-Polokwane, and conclude that, despite some important gains, we are far from achieving the bold vision set out by ANC Conference delegates. Indeed, we run the risk of moving even further away from that vision. Secondly, we diagnose the nature of the problem in the movement and the state, and conclude that, if we don't act decisively, we are heading rapidly in the direction of a full-blown predator state, in which a powerful, corrupt elite increasingly controls the state as a vehicle for accumulation. Thirdly, the Alliance is facing political paralysis, which needs to be unblocked.

Fourthly, we consider the strategic options facing the country, and particularly organised workers, to arrest these developments, and move the country onto a trajectory of renewal, reconstruction and development. Finally, we need moving forward to assess different scenarios, which depending on the actions we take, could either move us forward, or plunge us into disaster. To serve as the basis for this discussion, we reproduce the scenarios developed for the 2006 Congress, and those in the 1997 September Commission. After further discussion of these scenarios in our ranks, we will develop new and updated scenarios as a guide to action in the current period.

The issues we address in this paper are confronted honestly and directly. We believe that we are neither exaggerating the problems, nor being alarmist, as some will claim. History is replete with examples of movements and peoples who woke up too late, and found themselves in the clutches of a ruthless elite, who knew no limits to their greed and capacity to abuse power...

Click here to access the full Cosatu discussion document.