Political parties used May Day to try and galvanise support this as part of early campaigning ahead of next year’s local government elections.
The biggest worker federation COSATU held its main rally in Mpumalanga where its leadership shared a platform with those of alliance partners the ANC and the South African Communist Party.
This year’s May Day is the first under the Government of National Unity which has seen the ANC under pressure to compromise on some of the transformation agenda it has set out to pursue.
President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the rally and gave an undertaking that the ANC will not abandon worker aspirations regardless of the pressure exerted on it by among others the Democratic Alliance and the US government of Donald Trump.
“I promise you, the hard fought rights of workers will not be sacrificed. It was Cosatu that fought for NHI and I promise you here today that the NHI will be implemented whether they like it or not, be it the BELA Act, NHI or employment equity, we will implement it and we need Cosatu and the SACP to continue supporting us in doing so, never compromise,” said Ramaphosa.
“Cosatu’s main message was directed at its alliance partners whom it warned could divide it and its affiliates after the SACP took a decision to contest elections independently citing a “betrayal” of the so-called National Democratic Revolution by the ANC through decisions such as forming a government with traditional rivals such as the DA and Freedom Front+ that are both opposed to transformation.
“We appeal to both the ANC and SACP to engage in dialogue, meaningful dialogue, to resolve differences so that the alliance remains stronger. The SACP decision should not divide Cosatu, we must find a way of resolving that issue before it threatens the existence of the alliance. We have formulated a discussion document that we will share as part of avoiding a total fallout, which might end up threatening the alliance,” said Cosatu’s Deputy General Secretary Gerald Twala.
The EFF meanwhile held its May Day rally in Rustenburg, North West where party leader Julius Malema took aim at the ANC accusing it of among others, lacking courage to carry out meaningful transformation.
Malema singled out land reform as long overdue and said while the EFF does not support the current expropriation act as it provides for compensation, it believes the ANC has failed to implement it, moderate as it is.
“Yes, we don’t support the expropriation act because it says we must pay compensation. Fine, let the EFF fight you for compensating people but take the land so now the ANC is not expropriating any land, they fear white people, they can never touch them, instead of slapping a white man they would rather go for a statue, even with statues they fear white statues. The ANC does not dare to expropriate land, they are hopeless, an EF government will not hesitate to expropriate land,” said Malema in his address.
This week, the DA, a key partner in the GNU, formally lodged papers in court challenging the Employment Equity Act, and the ANC Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula, said the former liberation movement is not deterred by the actions of its new partner.
“They want people, their constituents, to be able to fire workers with ease, to underpay them and carry out other forms of exploitation, and we will not allow that,” said Mbalula during a media briefing on Friday.
Malema said instead of reducing worker benefits more should be done to improve the retirement benefits of workers and bring as many people into formal employment.