COSATU general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said the labour federation was disappointed by the following in the State of the Nation address:

l The failure to articulate that SA faces a structural unemployment crisis that preceded the recession.

Zuma should have acknowledged that SA had inherited an inappropriate growth path whose features were export- oriented , reliance on raw materials and on capital-intensive sectors.

l The failure to reiterate the ANC's commitment to restructuring the economy. Measures to deal with structural unemployment, deep-seated poverty and growing inequalities needed to be announced.

l The failure to mention the commitment to a decent life for all and a commitment to prohibit abusive labour practices as per the ANC elections manifesto. This is serious when employers are side-stepping the labour laws as they use labour brokers to subcontract and outsource work.

l The suggestion that the electricity generation sector would be privatised through independent power producers wasworrying.

l The commitment to stepping up the fight against corruption was welcomed, but the speech did not articulate a strategy to fight the scourge of materialism.

l Cosatu will take up a campaign against the rush on the part of some leaders to become rich by whatever means possible.

"We know we will lose some friends in this process but most ANC members and the entire revolutionary movement will join this fight, which is about saving our revolution and the movement that leads that revolution - the ANC-led alliance."