'Stop the politicians' feeding frenzy'

Cosatu leader Zwelinzima Vavi has warned that South Africa was slipping into becoming a "predatory state" where a new tier of leaders believed it was their turn to "feed". "There is an order in a predatory state - and I'm not saying that is what is happening - but in an ordinary predatory state there is an order in the feeding trough. The first family must feed first, and then the cabinet must come, and its family, and then the provincial leadership and the council. In the process we have battles of short-term interest," he said.

The Cosatu general secretary was speaking at a political school organised by the National Union of Metalworkers' of SA (Numsa) in Joburg last night. Fellow panellist, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, told the gathering the success of the ANC's struggles was not to be measured "on how many billionaires we have produced", but rather how the poverty experienced by the majority of people was addressed. The alliance leaders' comments come after multibillion-rand deals involving people directly linked to President Jacob Zuma, including his son, Duduzane, and his nephew, Khulubuse Zuma.

Mantashe asked whether having 20 black people among the top richest people in the country was really all that the "national democratic revolution" was about. The ANC's renewal campaign was about returning the party to its members. "It can't be dominated by a small inner circle that controls resources and gives access to wealth," he said.

Steel giant ArcelorMittal has come under fire after announcing a R9 billion deal to sell a 26 percent stake in its business, a transaction in which Duduzane Zuma as well as the Gupta family and other close associates of Zuma have scored millions of rands. Vavi said when it became a matter of politicians awaiting their turn to "feed", this was a "vulgarisation" of the alliance's struggle to liberate black African people. Economic empowerment and job creation were inextricably linked, he said. He criticised the government's "dilly-dallying" and "confusion" over developing a plan to curb the "job-loss bloodbath", that saw more than one million people lose their jobs in the past year. "Since April we are being told there is an economic growth path (policy document) and that it is coming. Up to now we have nothing in our hands, and we are going to discuss it for the first time in the (ANC's national general council, its mid-term policy review conference). Even that shows that there is a state of confusion up there," Vavi said. There was a growth path envisaged by cabinet and a separate one envisioned by the ANC, Vavi said. "As a result... you might be going in two different directions. It is a crisis."

Also present was SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande, who called for a review of the country's black economic empowerment policies. "Who has it worked for? And is it being corrupted in a big way?" he asked. Nzimande repeated his warnings against "tenderpreneurs" - people who manipulate state contracts to enrich themselves - and businesses that chased state tenders rather than creating opportunities in the private sector. "BEE is in a big crisis, so its roots (are) in picking on the state. When that goes on, we will turn South Africa into one big tender which will be sold to the highest bidder," he said. "You will bring in counter-revolution, because anything that stands in the way, will be dealt with quite severely."

Source: IOL