Johannesburg, Gauteng — Tensions reached a boiling point at the 15th COSATU National Congress when ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe staged a dramatic walkout, refusing to address delegates and exposing a deepening rift within the tripartite alliance. The incident, which disrupted an otherwise unified atmosphere, has left the trade union federation caught in the middle of escalating friction between its alliance partners, the ANC and the SACP.
The congress had a rocky start, having been aborted the previous month due to logistical confusion and a dispute over the status of the federation’s first deputy president, Mike Shingange. Shingange was suspended by his union just days before the elective conference began after accepting a nomination for the position of COSATU president without his union’s blessing. Despite this turbulent background, the prevailing mood at the rescheduled conference was initially focused on “love and unity,” with delegates echoing those sentiments in their speeches.
The harmonious tone shattered when Mantashe arrived at the venue during the lunch break. As is customary at COSATU gatherings, alliance partners are invited to address the conference. However, Mantashe refused to take the stage before SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila. Insisting on speaking only after the SACP leader, Mantashe argued that the speaking order among alliance partners is strictly dictated by tradition and seniority, rather than convenience.
Delegates strongly rejected his stance, and the revulsion in the room was palpable. One delegate publicly rebuked the ANC leader, stating that Mantashe should have respected the program director or session chairperson.
“What you should have done… was to respect our program director… go there at the stage and once you are there, teach us,” the delegate argued, urging him to act in line with the alliance’s culture and tradition. The floor made it clear that they would remember the moment the ANC National Chairperson allegedly undermined his alliance partners.
Unrepentant as he left the venue following the rebukes, Mantashe defended his position.
“We never spoke before the party. We always speak last. That is tradition,” he stated firmly. “Anybody who says we ever spoke first is telling lies.”
In the wake of the walkout, delegates proposed that each affiliate write a formal letter to the ANC condemning Mantashe’s behavior. The dispute arrives at a critical juncture for the alliance, as the SACP has announced it will independently contest the upcoming local government elections. With COSATU caught in the middle of this political realignment, Mantashe’s controversial exit may have inadvertently simplified the decision for some delegates regarding which alliance partner to support in the forthcoming elections.
