South Africa: The battle for Cosatu

The battle for Cosatu is balanced on a knife edge. This week its central committee postponed key debates as various lobby groups pulled it in different directions. The Blade Nzimande-led South African Communist Party (SACP) tugged it to take a moderate and less critical stance towards government policies and ANC president Jacob Zuma's leadership. Pulling on the other side, Cosatu's general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, stood accused of agitating for 'regime change' as he went for broke, criticising the government's new growth path and the planning commission's diagnostic report. The debates and divisions on the government's economic policies were also a proxy war between those who want Cosatu to support the present top six ANC leaders and those who, in tandem with the ANC Youth League, propose to replace ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe and Zuma with new leaders.