Cosatu urges ANC to ‘defend’ key govt departments

South Africans on Monday continued to wait for President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce his new cabinet, with no indication yet when it will be announced. 

By the weekend, ten political parties had joined the government of national unity, although it remained to be seen which of the parties would be handed positions in the executive. 

The trade union federation briefed the media on Monday following its three-day Central Executive Committee meeting.

Cosatu General Secretary Solly Phetoe said that while it is the president’s prerogative to appoint cabinet members, the federation remained concerned about who would be heading up the portfolios that affect workers. 

These include the departments of Labour, Trade and Industry, Public Service and Administration, and Finance. 

Phetoe said while Cosatu cannot dictate which cabinet positions should be allocated to the Democratic Alliance, it expected the ANC to uphold and defend the hard-won rights of workers. 

“We expect the ANC, as the leader of the GNU, to ensure that government is biased towards the working class, defends the hard-won rights of workers and accelerates the transformation agenda. 

‘Cosatu welcomes the GNU’s declaration of intent’s commitment to protect workers’ rights and to engage with labour, business and civil society on the GNU’s policy platform that was included in deference to the federation’s concerns.

“The federation will help facilitate dialogue with social partners at Nedlac to contribute meaningfully towards the GNU’s policy mandate,” said Phetoe.