ELECTIONS

Election preparations hot up

As the IEC confirmed that only just more than 9,6 million out of 26 million potential voters, had registered to vote, Cosatu stepped up mobilisation of its members.

"We could have done better to mobilise our people," said Cosatu general secretary, Mbhazima Shilowa. "In Soweto only 16% of potential voters registered, in Vaal only 18%. We can’t put this low figure down to a ‘lack of understanding of the history of our struggle’. If we don’t get Sowetans to vote, the chances of the ANC winning Gauteng are slim."

"If you look at affiliates," he says, "only Num, Nehawu and Samwu has the machinery to mobilise for elections. We can’t rely on affiliates. That is why we called regional shop steward councils in all our regions to focus on registration and the March 3 campaign.

As Shopsteward went to print, regional shop steward councils had been held in all regions.

• In Cape Town, the City Hall was "packed with 900 shop stewards from rural locals from as far as Knysna," reports cde Elma Geswindt, Cosatu administrator in the Western Cape. Delegates discussed registration, the election process, with the IEC assisting with answers. Sacp and ANC reps also contributed as did Cosatu vice president, Connie September.

"The vibe was very good, comrades wanted to know if it was too late to register if they didn’t have bar coded IDs, how they could assist the IEC as volunteers with the registration process," adds cde Geswindt.

• In Durban, Woody Aroun, Numsa regional educator reports that "more than a thousand shopstewards crammed the ML Sultan Cane Growers hall on Sunday 24 January 1999 to hear Cosatu President John Gomomo speak on the trade unions’ role in the forthcoming national elections.

Despite the political tensions in the province following the death of UDM provincial leader Sifiso Nkabinde the day before, speakers from the tripartite alliance are convinced that the ANC has made substantial gains in electoral support. This they said confirms media reports that support for the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is growing.

Speakers representing the tripartite alliance also included cde. Willies Mchunu from the Sacp, cde. Singh (ANC elctoral office) and cde. Sbu Ndebele (ANC National Executive and KZN provincial Chairperson).

Cde. Gomomo also commented on the huge turnout by shopstewards – "such a significant turnout at the RSSC must surely send a positive signal to all shopstewards and workers in the country to get involved and play an active role in the affairs of the federation".

• In the Wits region turnout could have been better with 1000 shop stewards attending, but regional secretary cde Dan Mohapi is confident that co-ordinators in regional and industrial areas will take the plans forward and ensure that more people register.
  
• Putting poor turnout down to short notice, Eastern Cape regional secretary, cde Pinkie Ntsangani said despite this, good discussions were held around the elections, the ANC list process and the need to have a provincial socio-economic summit at the level of the alliance "to arrest tendencies like privatisation and the use of consultants and to look at concrete projects we can put in place."

In all regions, the March 3 campaign for one day’s output for job creation was discussed and planned. This campaign "would be bigger than the Autumn Offensive and will require the active participation of all affiliates to ensure that the campaign is a success on March 3, 1999," warned Cosatu KZN regional secretary, Paulos Ngcobo.