Jim comes to Parly, but will he..?

Lucas Ledwaba

There is little doubt Irvin Jim will fill a significant gap in Parliament post elections. The gap toothed one, who led a breakaway from labour movement Cosatu plays in a space left vacant by the once powerful federation’s decline.

Cosatu has since the end of the Nelson Mandela honeymoon era found itself immersed more in the politics of the tripartite alliance than at dealing with issues affecting its core membership, labour.

Jim and his comrades at Numsa found themselves trapped in this dilemma where they had to choose between serving the factional interests of politicians and become a pawn in a game of a ruling party at war with itself.

The formation of the Socialist Workers Party, led of course by Jim is probably one of the most significant developments in the country’s political discourse. And even if the ANC and Cosatu could claim not to have felt