between the chains
SIKONATHI MANTSHANTSHA: The masses show who’s boss
There’s going to be a lot more opportunity for the masses to reassert themselves ahead of the 2019 general election
The scenes that played themselves out at the Cosatu Workers’ Day rallies in Bloemfontein and Durban had a striking resemblance to events in Chinua Achebe’s fictitious Kangan state in West Africa. Except here the ordinary people at the events, also known as "the masses," took matters into their own hands and extracted some revenge from their leadership. The leadership, also known as the VIPs, sat comfortably on cushioned chairs, sipping bottled water under the cool shade of the marquee. Numerous chairs were unoccupied for most of the time while waiting for the VIPs to arrive. To their right-hand side, about 10m away, stood mobile toilets for the exclusive use of the VIPs. The speaking podium was also under a shade to the left.
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