POLITICS

New Age attempting to interfere in alliance politics – COSATU

Federation says it remains steadfast in its call for Zuma to step down

COSATU rejects the fallacious New Age article on COSATU’s position on President Jacob Zuma

31 October 2017

The Congress of South African Trade Unions has noted the fallacious story by the New Age Newspaper titled COSATU accepts ‘inevitable’ that seeks to create an impression that the federation has abandoned its call for President Jacob Zuma to resign.This is another desperate attempt by the New Age Newspaper to interfere in the Alliance politics by conflating issue and interpreting them to suit their narrow agenda.

COSATU remains unwavering and steadfast in its call for the President Jacob Zuma to step down as the president of the country and the ANC. He has proven himself to be an ill-qualified and a polarising figure as a leader of both the country and the ANC. In fact, we feel vindicated in our call for him to step down by the recent re- emergence of the past undemocratic practices, which were previously, used in the run-up to the ANC 52nd Polokwane Conference, in particular the use of state institutions in factional battles.

This combined with alleged undue influence that is apparently exerted by the Gupta Family in his office and a series of controversies surrounding him like the Constitutional Court judgement and his apology on Nkandla is proof that he is irredeemable. We will leave the canonisation of President Jacob Zuma to fanatics like the New Age Newspaper and we will continue to call for him to step down.

Issued by Sizwe Pamla, National Spokesperson, COSATU, 31 October 2017