COSATU president Sdumo Dlamini has publicly endorsed the re-election of ANC president Jacob Zuma.
Dlamini, who was flanked by Zuma and SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande at the main Workers' Day rally in Botshabelo, the Free State, yesterday, said that the labour federation will work with the current ANC leadership towards Mangaung and beyond.
The controversial head of police intelligence, Richard Mdluli, attended the rally. He was flanked by uniformed officers, was constantly on his cellphone and repeatedly retreated behind doors in the VIP area.
Dlamini said Cosatu's position leading to Polokwane in 2007 had not changed and the labour federation was pleased with the current ANC leadership.
"Leading to Polokwane, we said as Cosatu that we need a certain character of leadership, and we said we will support that leadership and support the resolutions of Polokwane.
"We will work with that leadership as we go to Mangaung and beyond. There is nothing that has changed from the position we took leading to Polokwane. We still stand at that position and nobody must be confused," Dlamini said.
His comments were made a few days after Cosatu's highest decision-making body, the central executive committee, publicly stated that it would not endorse an ANC leader as it did in 2007.
But Dlamini's pledge to support Zuma "beyond" Mangaung appears to be an endorsement of him.
Zuma is to face a test of his leadership when the ANC holds its national elective conference in December.
Dlamini's call is in contrast to the labour federation's central executive committee statement last week that stated that Cosatu would not endorse any individual for a leadership position in the ANC.
"Cosatu will not be won over into any faction this time around, because that's now the binding policy on all of our leaders; you will not endorse any person unless it is the decision of the central executive committee," Cosatu's general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, said in the presence of Dlamini after the meeting.
The Workers' Day rallies in other parts of South Africa attracted less than the expected numbers.
In Eastern Cape, Vavi shared the stage with ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe.
Mantashe told about 1000 members to "pull themselves off the bottom" and not take socioeconomic and political criticisms personally.
Mantashe threw down a challenge to Cosatu and the SACP to apply for leadership within the government and not see themselves only as leaders within their own structures.
In his speech, Vavi focused on the e-tolling system in Gauteng and the federation's continuing fight to force the government to scrap labour broking.
His counterpart, SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande, said the Gautrain and the e-tolling system in Gauteng did not help the transport problems of South Africa's workers or the poor.
Nzimande said these projects were essentially directed at making profits at public expense.
Zuma, who spoke at the Free State rally, avoided party politics but focused on narrating the historical victories of workers and organised labour worldwide.
In KwaZulu-Natal, Young Communist League national secretary Buti Manamela warned workers to guard against "Superman and Batman" politicians whose interests were in positions.
The central committee member of the SACP also warned against "comrade tsotsis, whose desire to fill their pockets has replaced comradely love and virtue".
