THOUGH it has come sooner than expected, we anticipated there would be posturing between Cosatu-affiliated unions and the ANC as the battle for the soul of the ruling party rages.
THOUGH it has come sooner than expected, we anticipated there would be posturing between Cosatu-affiliated unions and the ANC as the battle for the soul of the ruling party rages.
The talk in the last few days of potentially crippling strikes in the public and private sector, along with the call by the ANC that its alliance partners mind the language they use in expressing their desires, speaks to the honeymoon coming to an end.
The unions rightly believe they have worked hard to return the ANC to power in the face of what they deemed the rightwing or pro-capitalist threat posed by the Congress of the People and Democratic Alliance.
They therefore expect that the new administration will introduce policies that reflect the support they lent to the victorious election campaign.
The other streams of thought within the party might also want to create a bulwark against what they see as an unwanted encroachment by communists and workerists.
But in all this the ANC, as governing party, must not shift its eye off the ball, which is to provide a better life for all South Africans, especially the under-classes that remain its core constituency.
Ordinary citizens will not be bothered by whether the ANC is right- or leftwing so long as they see houses being built, jobs being created, their children getting quality education and they are able to sleep peacefully knowing that the police are on top of the fight against crime.
We hope that all concerned remember never to forget that.
Remember not to forget
THOUGH it has come sooner than expected, we anticipated there would be posturing between Cosatu-affiliated unions and the ANC as the battle for the soul of the ruling party rages.
THOUGH it has come sooner than expected, we anticipated there would be posturing between Cosatu-affiliated unions and the ANC as the battle for the soul of the ruling party rages.
The talk in the last few days of potentially crippling strikes in the public and private sector, along with the call by the ANC that its alliance partners mind the language they use in expressing their desires, speaks to the honeymoon coming to an end.
The unions rightly believe they have worked hard to return the ANC to power in the face of what they deemed the rightwing or pro-capitalist threat posed by the Congress of the People and Democratic Alliance.
They therefore expect that the new administration will introduce policies that reflect the support they lent to the victorious election campaign.
The other streams of thought within the party might also want to create a bulwark against what they see as an unwanted encroachment by communists and workerists.
But in all this the ANC, as governing party, must not shift its eye off the ball, which is to provide a better life for all South Africans, especially the under-classes that remain its core constituency.
Ordinary citizens will not be bothered by whether the ANC is right- or leftwing so long as they see houses being built, jobs being created, their children getting quality education and they are able to sleep peacefully knowing that the police are on top of the fight against crime.
We hope that all concerned remember never to forget that.