Vavi repeats apology for helping to oust Mbeki
Stellenbosch - Cosatu is still paying dearly for their affiliation to the ruling ANC party, the trade union federation's former secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi said in Stellenbosch this week.
He was on a panel with Solidarity's Flip Buys and seasoned labour journalist Jan de Lange at the annual Woordfees, discussing the role of trade unions in South Africa, and whether they were sustainable.
Vavi, who was ousted from the union after fierce in-fighting, once again apologised "to South Africa" for the union's role in getting rid of former president Thabo Mbeki at Polokwane in 2012.
"I apologised to the country for that mistake, for getting it so wrong. We were angry, and found anyone willing to challenge him and raised them up. We were angry because he was an Aids denialist, and thousands of our people were dying.
"And yes, we are still paying very dearly for it."