Cosatu congress adjourned after credential dispute exposes tensions

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has adjourned its 15^th national congress after seven affiliates withheld their delegate credentials, preventing the federation from reaching the quorum required to proceed with the meeting.

The decision, announced after two days of difficult proceedings, brought the congress to a halt before delegates could debate the federation’s political report, organisational matters and resolutions affecting workers.

Speaking to Elitsha outside the congress venue on Wednesday, Cosatu spokesperson Zanele Sabela said the decision by some affiliates not to submit their credentials was linked primarily to the suspension of Cosatu’s first deputy president, Mike Shingange, by his union, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), shortly before the congress.

Sabela said the suspension had become a “bone of contention” because affiliates wanted clarity on why Shingange had been suspended on the eve of the congress and whether the move would prevent his candidacy for a leadership position. Nehawu’s general secretary clarified in the congress that the suspension was an internal union matter and did not mean Shingange could not stand for a Cosatu position. She said Shingange remained a shop steward and a member of an affiliated union.

The dispute was also taken to the Labour Court. Sabela said the court ruled on Tuesday night that the suspension did not stand, making the issue of his immediate suspension a moot point in relation to the congress.

Shingange himself told journalists that the reasons for his suspension were a matter between himself and his union. He also maintained that a person seeking a leadership position in Cosatu must meet the federation’s membership requirements.

Cosatu denies clear divisions

The suspension and credential dispute unfolded alongside dissent among affiliates, with four unions calling a press briefing outside the Cosatu congress but cancelled it. Cosatu’s leadership played down the significance of the separate briefing, saying it should not be interpreted as evidence that the federation was fragmenting. They insisted disagreements among affiliates were not new and that similar tensions had been managed in previous congresses. Discussions among leaders during the two-day gathering, they argued, showed that the affiliates were not necessarily as far apart as the events at the congress suggested.

The precise reasons and positions that the four affiliates intended to advance at their separate media briefing were not fully addressed by Cosatu’s national office bearers during the federation’s own briefing. The issue was, however, part of the wider dispute about credentials, the suspension of Shingange and the conduct of the congress.

Cosatu’s leadership said seven unions attending the congress had not submitted their credential lists. Without those lists, the federation could not establish the number of eligible delegates for purposes of calculating a quorum. National office bearers said the congress spent roughly three hours dealing with the issue before the constitutional limit was reached. Under clause 3.4 of the federation’s constitution, the congress had to be adjourned and the president is required to reconvene it within 30 days.

So, the ultimate reason for the adjournment, was this technicality rather than a substantive political disagreement over the direction of the federation.

“We do not want to confirm what we cannot prove,” one of the leaders told journalists when asked whether political interests had influenced the events at the congress. The political questions that were supposed to dominate the congress included Cosatu’s relationship with the ANC and the SACP, particularly after the SACP’s decision to contest the upcoming local government elections independently.

The issue has implications for the tripartite alliance, which brings together the ANC, Cosatu and the SACP. Although the three organisations retain their decision-making processes, the ANC has long dominated its partners. During the briefing, Cosatu leaders stressed that the SACP was an independent organisation entitled to take its own decisions.

At the same time, Cosatu had been expected to debate the implications of the SACP’s electoral strategy and determine its own position at the national congress. Sabela told Elitsha that this discussion had not taken place because the congress never progressed beyond the credentials stage.

“Take out this division from your narrative. There is no division here,” Sabela said when asked about the political tensions. However, their press statement hinted at exactly that. “The adjournment comes at a difficult and painful moment in the life of the Federation. However, the decision has been taken in the interests of protecting the unity, integrity and organisational strength of COSATU. There are no winners when COSATU is divided,” reads the statement.

Sabela said the SACP’s decision to contest the local elections independently was a matter for the party, while Cosatu’s position would have to emerge from its own congress. “It had to be decided by delegates to congress,” she said. “Congress is the highest decision-making structure within Cosatu.”

The adjournment means delegates will have to return to complete business that was never reached during the two-day gathering. The leadership said Cosatu’s political report and discussions on the alliance are among the substantive matters to be dealt with when the congress reconvenes.

The leadership said a special central executive committee meeting would be convened to determine the precise date and logistical arrangements for the reconvened congress. No date had been announced by Wednesday, although leaders repeatedly stressed that the constitutional requirement was for it to take place within 30 days.