A THIRD of South African adults definitely think that "a new political party, a workers’ or labour party, will assist with current problems facing SA". This emerges from a large nationally representative sample of adults of all races between February and March this year. A further 39% answered "maybe" to this question. (The proportions answering "probably not" or "definitely not" were 15% and 13%.)The data is drawn from an Ipsos national survey of 3,730 respondents aged 15 and older. The percentages are based on the 83% of the sample that answered the question.The idea of a workers’ party has deep roots in SA’s post-1973 labour movement. It was first openly articulated by the predecessor of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), the Federation of South African Trade Unions (Fosatu), in a speech by general secretary Joe Foster in 1982. He argued that Fosatu’s task was to build a working-class organisation within the popular struggle to represent workers politically. The...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.