COSATU statement on the ANC’s Government of National Unity announcement
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) notes our ally, the African National Congress (ANC)’s announcement of its intention to establish a Government of National Unity (GNU).
COSATU has been undertaking internal consultations on the Federation’s proposals on how the 7th administration led by President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC should be constituted. We look forward to engaging the ANC and the South African Communist Party, on their positions to ensure we emerge with a united way forward as the Alliance.
We agree with our alliance partners, the ANC and the SACP, that South Africa, and the working class in particular, are facing some of the most difficult challenges since the democratic breakthrough in 1994. These difficulties, including the electoral results that left no single party with the 51% threshold needed to form a government on its own, require decisive leadership, political maturity, and sobriety.
The Federation has long championed the need for social partners, including Organised Labour and Business, to work with the democratic state, to address the many socio-economic challenges affecting working class communities and the nation.