labour politics
Political parties’ May Day dance
SA’s political parties use May 1 as an opportunity to secure workers’ votes. But while labour unions are a central part of the political landscape, the unemployed are at least as important a voting pool
The race for the working-class vote has become decidedly more competitive since the 2014 national elections. Prior to that, the ANC tended to have this sector of electoral support sewn up. But both the broad ANC alliance and the labour movement have slowly fractured over the past 25 years, and today the democratic space is decidedly less homogeneous than it was at the dawn of democracy in SA. This week’s May Day rallies were part of political parties’ final push as they vie for workers’ votes ahead of elections in a week’s time. Support from the unions has historically benefited the ANC, with labour federation Cosatu in an official alliance with the governing party. Cosatu is a major political player, with a fair amount of weight when it comes to determining who is elected ANC president. This was evident in 2007, ahead of the party’s electoral conference in Polokwane, where Cosatu threw its weight behind Jacob Zuma. And it was clear again when that particular relationship soured, an...
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