Rallies underline changing political landscape

The collapse of a Workers’ Day rally in Bloemfontein in the Free State, where ANC president Jacob Zuma was booed and shown the door, should serve as a ‘wake-up call’ and showed signs of a crumbling ANC-led tripartite alliance. The Citizen reports that this was according to SA Communist Party (SACP) leader Blade Nzimande and political analysts who cautioned that the display showed signs of a now divided alliance. The rally ended abruptly after Zuma arrived to boos and heckling from members of Cosatu’s affiliate unions. Zuma was meant to speak but Cosatu decided against his speech and those of other alliance leaders due to the anti-Zuma sentiment. Political economy analyst Zamikhaya Maseti said the chaos clearly showed Cosatu was losing touch with the workers. ‘The workers’ rebellion at the May Day event is a clear indication that S’dumo Dlamini has no control of the affiliates,’ Maseti said, according to the report. Although some affiliates made their views known and advised Cosatu that they did not want Zuma to address the rally, Dlamini did not listen, he said.