Cosatu 'good as useless' if they don’t support us – Wits students

23 September 2016

Johannesburg – Cosatu must play a bigger role in the fight for free quality education or risk being exposed as hypocrites, former Wits University SRC president Mcebo Dlamini said on Friday.

As Wits University students gear up to march to the headquarters of the trade union federation, Dlamini urged Cosatu to mobilise workers to join the protests around free education.

"We want Cosatu to say when are they calling workers to mobilise."

Dlamini said should Cosatu choose to ignore students' pleas, "it will show that the alliance of the ANC does not take black people seriously".

"If they are hypocrites and they are representing the working class but they don't want to listen to the children of the working class, then they are as good as useless."

Wits student leader Sharia Kalla said they were also planning to take their concerns to other trade union federations.

"We are going to go out and get public support from civil society... We are starting with Cosatu but we will go to other trade union federations."

'We have always supported students'

Cosatu general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said Cosatu has always supported students.

Ntshalintshali said he was ready to accept a memorandum from students.

"We have always supported students. We said we would march with them and we are ready to accept and listen to their demands."

This article first appeared on News24, see here.