ANC YOUTH LEAGUE DISAGREES WITH THE OBSERVATIONS OF COSATU GENERAL SECRETARY ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS:
06 April 2011
The ANC Youth League disagrees with the remarks and observations of COSATU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi on the upcoming Local Government Elections. In his address to the NUMSA Bargaining Conference, Comrade Vavi said that "We [ANC] are going into elections with our tails between our legs. With our backs to the wall, because we have lost 1,17million jobs and 5,8million families are plunged into poverty". In the same address, the General Secretary of COSATU further said there is a possibility that we might soon call someone President Zille (see Times report).
The ANC Youth League does not agree that the ANC will go to local government elections with its tail behind the legs, because contrary to what is implied, the ANC has done exceptionally well with regards to service delivery. The ANC has provided water, electricity, roads, sanitation, houses and many other basic services to millions of people over the past 5 years.
Whilst we all accept that there is a problem of unemployment, it is wrong to blame unemployment and retrenchments on the ANC government, particularly at local level. The ANC goes into the local government elections with its head very high because we have fulfilled more than 80% of the promises made in the 2006 Local Government Elections.
The General Secretary of COSATU should understand better than anyone that job losses that occurred because of the world economic recession cannot be blamed on the ANC, but on many other factors that are beyond the ANC's control. Instead of educating workers that job-losses are a result of global economic crisis, the General Secretary of COSATU implies that the ANC is responsible for the job-losses.