(Cosatu) President S'dumo Dlamini says the heckling and Disruptions at the main May Day rally in Bloemfontein was an embarrassment and a waste of an important day.
Some workers affiliated to the trade union and its unions refused to let President Jacob Zuma deliver the keynote address. This forced Cosatu to cancel all planned speeches.
It's understood the booing came from affiliates the South African Democratic Teachers Union and National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union.
There was a lot of resistance from unions last Friday when Cosatu announced it had decided that Zuma would address workers, with leaders saying this would send conflicting messages as the federation had already taken the decision that the president must step down.
Dlamini says what happened on Monday should have never happened.
“Indeed yesterday was an embarrassment not just for Cosatu only, but for all of us as alliance partners and leadership.”
Dlamini adds that Cosatu is faced with an uncomfortable situation.
“This is going to be an internal discussion because the leadership of Cosatu was faced with a situation. You know what happened yesterday reflected a divided Cosatu.”
Dlamini says it will take some time to reflect on the events.
“I’m still reflecting and I got to indicate that it will take some time to reflect. We have to go to our constitutional structure, do an analysis of what happened and find the way forward.”
WATCH: Anti-Zuma protest halts Cosatu’s May Day rally
COSATU DIVIDED
The events that took place on Monday were the first time a sitting president has been booed by an alliance organisation.
Political analyst Ralph Matekga says it shows Cosatu is no longer a unified organisation.
“It’s actually proved that President Jacob Zuma has divided the workers and workers are no longer going to take this lying down.”
Labour analyst Mamokgethi Malopyane says this shows Cosatu is about to change dramatically.
“It changes the structure of Cosatu. I wonder it would be seen as the strong Cosatu or it would now be perceived as a reborn Cosatu.”
These developments could also mean some unions will now try to force Dlamini out of his position for allowing Zuma to attend the event in the first place.
At the same time, this could be seen as a turning point both for Zuma and for Cosatu.
Malopyane added: “We’ve seen far deeper fractures now, it’s clear there’s no turning back. Inevitable change will happen within Cosatu.”
While Matekga says senior Cosatu leaders may have to carry the can for this.
“I think they would be blamed for leaving Cosatu in tatters, for actually mortgaging the future of Cosatu on Zuma’s troubled leadership.”
But with Zuma showing no signs of leaving office, the divisions in Cosatu could be just a taste of what could happen in the ANC ahead of its December leadership contest.
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