Johnathan Paoli
THE Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)’s KwaZulu Natal branch has joined the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) in condemning the recent attacks by the ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo on NEHAWU members.
Mtolo lashed out at NEHAWU over the weekend, saying its “incompetent members” were responsible for the collapse of many government entities.
He accused Nehawu of hating the GNU led by the ANC because many of its members will no longer benefit from this government.
“Do you know a union called Nehawu? The majority of Nehawu people are in Home Affairs. When you go to Home Affairs and do not get attended to, Nehawu is responsible for that. When you go to Sassa and you do not get attended to, Nehawu is responsible. When you work on a farm and the employer does not pay you a minimum wage, Nehawu is responsible for that,” he said.
Cosatu’s Provincial Secretary Edwin Mkhize responded on Wednesday to Mtolo’s outburst saying the congress was shocked by the latest attack on public servants and called for unity among the rank and file and the forces of the people’s revolution.
Mtolo criticised NEHAWU members for hosting a political school in order to “develop a comprehensive political programme to respond to the political changes arising from the 2024 general elections and to further engage on the revolutionary theory of Marxist/Leninist as a theoretical arsenal which can be used to understand the world and continually renew our organisation to change the world”.
Mkhize said he did not understand what triggered the attack on workers, but said he was not surprised in light of Mtolo’s history of violence against both the union and the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) back in 2022 over questioning the instruction for learners to wear cultural attires by the Education MEC.
He said the ANC in the province had no appreciation of the worker’s role in the development of the economy and the provision of services, and saw no value in workers.
“According to the ANC in the province, workers must conform to any conditions that are imposed on them, without complaining. The expectation by the KZN ANC leadership has exhibited that there is an expectation for workers to have “a half slice of bread is better than nothing” kind of an attitude,” Mkhize said.
Mkhize said the union congress viewed Mtolo’s actions as provocation and that trade unions should not be punished for demanding better conditions of service and for having an interest in the political developments that determine conditions of service.
While COSATU understands that there are challenges regarding service delivery, it fails to see the logic in only blaming workers when service delivery issues require radical address and collective approach, he said.
“Trade unions should not be punished for demanding better conditions of service and for having an interest in the political developments that determine conditions of service,” he said.
Mkhize said Mtolo’s actions were concerning, considering the enormous task the Tripartite Alliance had at recovering electoral support in the province ahead of the Local elections of 2026.
He called on the senior structures of the congress movement to urgently intervene in the province as the situation has become unsettling and posed a new challenge for the congress movement.
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