Tag: South Africa
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New Era in War on Workers: The Ramaphosa Presidency in South Africa
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) views the appointment of Cyril Ramaphosa to the position of President of the Republic of South Africa, as a new era in the war against workers and the working class majority in the country. Keep reading »
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In South Africa, Ramaphosa Rises as Lonmin Expires
Monday night’s internal African National Congress (ANC) presidential election of Cyril Ramaphosa – with a razor-thin 51 per cent majority of nearly 4800 delegates – displaced but did not resolve a fight between two bitterly-opposed factions. On the one hand are powerful elements friendly to so-called “White Monopoly Capital,” and on the other are outgoing ANC president Jacob Zuma’s allies led by Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, his ex-wife and former African Union chairperson. Keep reading »
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Let’s Rebuild a Democratic Global Trade Union Movement
The following speech by Zwelinzima Vavi, General Secretary of the newly formed South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), was delivered in New Orleans at the 46th International Convention of … Keep reading »
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The Corruption of a Dream
“Behind every great fortune there is a crime.” — Honoré de Balzac The SASSA scandal currently unfolding is probably the most dramatic expression of how far the African National Congress … Keep reading »
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SAFTU – This Is What We Stand For
Declaration of the Launching Congress of the South African Federation of Trade Unions The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) has been born. We have passed a milestone in the … Keep reading »
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South Africa and the Changing Possibilities for the Left
With the claims that a new trade union federation will be launched in March 2017, it is appropriate to draw up a balance sheet of the labour movement in South … Keep reading »
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NUMSA Statement on its 10th National Congress
South Africa’s biggest trade union, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, held its 10th National Congress from 12-15 December 2016 in Cape Town. This statement was written on … Keep reading »
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South African Workers Mobilize to Challenge Neoliberal Policies
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) Special National Congress in December 2013 resolved: “There is no chance of winning back the Alliance to what it was originally … Keep reading »
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Zuma’s Denialism and Betrayal
South African President Jacob Zuma‘s budget speech delivered on 4 May 2016 was yet another missed opportunity to look the South African public in the eye and be frank about … Keep reading »
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Austerity Gathers Pace in Volatile South Africa
A wedge is being quickly driven through Pretoria’s political elite, splitting even those who worked closely in the murky 1980s Durban spy scene during the fight against apartheid. Amongst the … Keep reading »
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The Struggle for South Africa’s Liberation: Success and Failure
This paper was presented at a seminar at the University of Johannesburg on Wednesday, August 5, 2015. Albie Sachs and Ben Turok served as discussants and a lively, disputatious but … Keep reading »
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(part 2) South Africa and the Changing Politics of Labour
Part 2: NUMSA and the Emergence of a New Movement NUMSA has always been the left critic within COSATU. Its roots lay in the traditions of independent socialism of FOSATU and … Keep reading »