'Alliance keeps ANC on track'

2007-08-09 21:05

Durban - The inclusion of the SA Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) prevented the African National Congress-led government from "tilting to the right", ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.

Speaking at the South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union's 10th congress at the International Convention Centre in Durban, Zuma said: "If workers and communists are not there, we are likely to tilt to the right and that is not very good for the balance (of the government)."

Zuma made the comment shortly after stating that he was pleased that all three members of the tripartite alliance - the ANC, the SACP and Cosatu - had "taken a firm position that the alliance is here to stay" and that they had also decided to strengthen the alliance.

He said those who had tried to break up the alliance had failed and that worker involvement in government was necessary.

"We are not in the alliance because we are nice guys," he said.

He praised Sactwu for its role in preventing job losses and the fact that it had rejected the "mindless competition among workers of the world".

Protecting the textile industry

He praised the organisation for its role in mobilising government to develop a plan to protect the textile industry.

Said Zuma: "We need to unite and defend our market against unfair competition and unfair trade."

Sactwu secretary general Ibrahim Patel told delegates that in the three years since Sactwu's 2004 conference, 46 000 jobs had been lost in the industry.

At the same time, he said, the top five clothing retailers had seen profits climb to R15.5bn.

Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa said: "The clothing sector has large and important capabilities that we must not lose but it is a sector that has enormous challenges."

He said the industry needed to upgrade its "capital equipment" and that government needed "to look for an appropriate incentive mechanism to help the industry".

The three-day conference ends on Saturday, during which time SACP secretary general Blade Nzimande and Cosatu secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi are expected to address delegates.

- SAPA