Business Report
*Vavi clearly sees peril as DA fights at street level* *Donwald Pressly, Business Report, Johannesburg, 8 May 2012*It seems that the battle for Johannesburg has begun two years before a national election and four years away from the next municipal poll. Gauteng is the powerhouse of the economy and the stakes are high as to which political formation runs both the city and the province in the future.
This week's bloody clash between the DA's almost entirely black but blue-shirted "army", led by Western Cape Premier Helen Zille -- in her capacity as DA leader -- and leader of the parliamentary opposition Lindiwe Mazibuko, and a mainly red-shirted Cosatu brigade, which was somewhat larger, in both numbers and in girth, was a pivotal moment for South Africa.
It was quite amusing watching the normal run of commentators saying how the official opposition's actions simply widened the chasm between Cosatu, the socialists, and the DA, the capitalists. Indeed, it was probably the first time blood was spilled -- mainly from DA supporters' heads but not exclusively -- in a clash between the two organisations. But there was little common ground before, so I don't quite see the argument that the DA should not have conducted the march.
There is no doubt that Cosatu was surprised by the mass demonstration, let alone by its blackness. Zwelinzima Vavi, the general secretary, got to the nub of it: "If we don't stop the real crisis, then those 3 000 (DA marchers) will become 6 000. It will eventually succeed. Eventually all of us will be in very, very hot water in no time."
He said another 1976 could happen in this country "if we preoccupy ourselves with palace politics while Rome is burning". Perhaps he should have referred to Johannesburg, but he was referring to the failure of the ANC government to carry out policies that work for the poor. He cited the numerous service delivery protests as further examples of a backlash against ANC policies.
This is an interesting observation. Vavi clearly believes there is a risk that DA economic policies could be embraced by the poor. Unlike a brigade of political "commentators", he sees the DA as a threat. Prior to the march, National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) general secretary Irvin Jim warned against the so-called youth wage subsidy as an attempt to placate the youth and avert the coming social revolution.
"Numsa wants to serve a timely warning to the DA and the vested white capitalist class interests it represents: they are embarking on a dangerous and unwinnable class struggle with the power of the black and African working class."
Earlier this week at Parliament, the DA announced its war on hunger campaign. It came up with a rather mealy-mouthed approach, including that a website be set up to track food inflation and that the party would question this matter in Parliament.
Dawie Roodt, the chief economist at Efficient Group, said the DA sounded like a left of centre socialist party with strong central control sentiments. He didn't mention the irony that the DA once backed a basic income grant -- something which Cosatu has repeatedly sought.
The reason for the march on Tuesday was to demonstrate the DA's protest against Cosatu's opposition to a youth wage subsidy. It is not clear why Cosatu is so against this idea, but perhaps it is because the subsidy would go to businesses -- both black and white.
Should Vavi's concern about DA policies becoming nationally driven be realised, it is difficult to see exactly how these policies would differ from those practised by the current ANC.
It is food for thought.*From: http://www.iol.co.za/business/business-news/vavi-clearly-sees-peril-as-da-fights-at-street-level-1.1299310*
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