Johnathan Paoli
THE National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) has joined mounting calls against the possibility of a coalition between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA).
In a statement on Thursday, NUMSA General secretary Irvin Jim said that a possible coalition between the parties would end in disaster for the working class and the marginalised of the country.
“Should the ANC/DA coalition happen, we shall be left with no option, but to go back to basics given the despondence of the working class and the poor and call on all trade union and all left political parties that represent the working class to unite and embark on a rolling mass action in pursuit of the demands of the working class and to pursue class struggle for a socialist South Africa as the only guarantee for fundamental change,” Jim said.
The NUMSA leader said despite misleading narratives, a coalition with the DA would not ensure economic stability within the country.
Jim said the same argument has been used in the past to justify policies such as the Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) policy in order to facilitate macroeconomic stabilisation policies for markets which inevitably ended up exacerbating the unemployment situation in the country.
He said there was a need to constitute a government which could address the needs of the country including addressing the issue of unemployment.
“The strategic important task is to put together a government that is going to address the crisis of unemployment, poverty and inequalities through an expansionary budget with a particular focus in building infrastructure in order to stimulate demand,” he said.
The general secretary called for the fulfilment of the liberation vision which included: the full implementation of the Freedom Charter, taking ownership and control of the economy, advocating for manufacturing and industrialization, addressing the land question, and
reversing the legacies of the GEAR policies from 1996.
Jim said for the ANC to regain the confidence of the people, it needed to move away from the negotiated settlement and move towards ownership and control of the economy.
“NUMSA views the coalition with the ANC and DA as not a light at the end of the tunnel, but an oncoming train that will squash and
liquidate the working class,” he said.
He concluded by calling a possible coalition as the final nail in the coffin for the ANC.
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