President Cyril Ramaphosa made a hasty exit in a police Nyala from the Workers’ Day rally in Rustenburg on Sunday in what will go down as a public humiliation at the hands of mineworkers he once led.
The hostile reception and heckling Ramaphosa endured, which ended in chaos when he was whisked away by police, is a sign of worker discontent over his government’s failure to live up to its promises.
Labour federation Cosatu chose to organise the rally in Rustenburg and invite Ramaphosa to speak, despite growing anger among workers who have been on strike for more than two months at Sibanye Stillwater mines. Ramaphosa has also had frosty relations with mineworkers in the platinum belt after the Marikana massacre, and he had to apologise for his actions in the run up to it.
It is therefore inconceivable that Cosatu leaders believed Ramaphosa would be welcomed with cheering at the rally by workers who blame his government for failing to improve their lives. The Workers’ Day rally has historically been used by ANC leaders to woo working-class supporters to rally behind the party and the government’s plans to change the lives of ordinary people.
But in the current climate of a stagnant economy, joblessness and retrenchments in the mining sector, it is not surprising that the day would be used to lay open the frustrations of workers, especially those who have been on strike without pay for two months. The other angry group in the heckling, we are told by Cosatu, comprised of public sector workers who are frustrated with the government for reneging on its 2018 wage agreement.
Cosatu leaders who are key political allies of Ramaphosa ought to have been alive to these workers’ realities before the rally. However, Sunday’s events signalled how the gulf has grown between workers on the ground and trade union leaders. The embarrassing episode for Ramaphosa also points to the challenges he faces as he seeks re-election as party president at the end of the year.
Cosatu was a crucial backer of Ramaphosa’s bid for the ANC presidency in 2017 by mobilising workers. Cosatu’s own president Zingiswa Losi said the workers had the right to vent their anger and that the federation had previously warned the ANC about growing frustration among workers over wages and unfulfilled promises.
The Rustenburg workers’ rebellion must serve as a warning shot to the ANC and Cosatu leadership.
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