Mike Shingange, Cosatu’s first deputy president and widely seen as a close ally of the SACP and Nehawu, emerged as a frontrunner for the presidency at Cosatu’s national congress. Meanwhile, outgoing president Zingiswa Losi, regarded as aligned with President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC, sought to unseat incumbent general secretary Solly Phetoe. The leadership contest decided yesterday ran straight through a dilemma that delegates carried with them: when they go to the polls on 4 November, who do they vote for?
The federation’s members, workers whose daily lives are shaped by the alliance’s fortunes, found themselves torn between the ANC, their long-time partner in government, and the South African Communist Party, which for the first time will stand on its own. If both Shingange and Losi secured senior positions, the federation could find itself led by figures from opposing camps in the ANC-SACP dispute, leaving the workers it represents caught between rival political loyalties at the very top.
For political observers, the stakes for ordinary members are considerable. Cosatu is viewed as a crucial player capable of either helping preserve alliance unity or strengthening one side in the growing feud. Whichever way the federation leans, the consequences will be felt in the communities where its members live and work. Backing the ANC could give the governing party a boost in its local election efforts. Throwing its weight behind the SACP would instead assist the Communist Party as it prepares to contest elections independently for the first time, a shift that could reshape the political landscape for working-class voters.
In the end, delegates largely favoured keeping the alliance together rather than openly choosing a side. Congress discussions centred on a resolution encouraging members to support whichever alliance partner best advances workers’ interests. Those who argued against endorsing a single party outright warned that doing so could further strain relations that are already fragile.
The tensions surfaced most clearly in a proposal from Nehawu. The union, whose ally Shingange had been tipped for higher office, called for Cosatu to abandon the ANC in favour of the SACP. The proposal won support from some affiliates but met resistance from others, who argued that such a move would contradict the federation’s long-standing commitment to strengthening the ANC within a united alliance framework.
Behind the procedural debate lay concerns that touch workers directly. Delegates discussed whether the ANC’s embrace of market-friendly economic policies has distanced the party from organised labour, leaving members feeling that their daily struggles are no longer reflected in government policy. Others countered that the SACP remains more closely identified with working-class interests, making it a more natural home for the federation’s members.
As the congress closed, the federation had chosen unity on paper while leaving its members to weigh their loyalties in their own communities. Whether that balance holds may depend on how the 4 November elections unfold, and on which camp ultimately prevails in the leadership of an organisation whose members must live with the outcome. Further coverage of the leadership battle and its implications for the alliance can be found at https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/politics/anc-or-sacp-cosatu-leadership-battle-reflects-alliance-tensions/.