Volume10, No.1 - February 2001

Never Again

"We shall always love you!"

The highlight of the 15th Anniversary celebration on 2 December 2000 was the presentation, by COSATU's General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, of the Elijah Barayi Award for Outstanding Leadership and Service to Comrade Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Before handing over a beautiful wooden carving of COSATU's logo, Comrade Vavi paid this tribute:

The Cabinet of South Africa's workers, the Central Executive committee of COSATU, decided to inaugurate an Elijah Barayi Award for Outstanding Leadership and Service. This is COSATU's most important award ever to be presented to any human being by COSATU.

It is doubly significant that this first Elijah Barayi Award is bestowed on the 15th anniversary of COSATU, a historical milestone for all workers in this country.

Usually decisions of this nature involve detailed and lengthy discussion. When nominations for this award were discussed in the COSATU CEC however, there was no lengthy debate as to who should be its first recipient. There was only one candidate: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

Comrade Madiba, the workers of South Africa wish to bestow this award on you in recognition of the outstanding leadership and service you have rendered to themselves and their country, and to reflect the love and appreciation which we feel for the huge sacrifice and contribution you have made to South Africa as a whole, and to working people in particular.

Many books and articles have been written about the role you have played in the history of our country, but the true story of your contribution is etched in the hearts and minds of our people.

You have been a constant inspiration to us from the days of the Congress of the People, through the armed struggle, the dark days in prison and exile, the mass uprisings of the eighties, to the period of negotiations, and finally the days of liberation and reconstruction.

You have always first and foremost been the leader of the people's movement. Whether you were the young lion fighting to radicalise the ANC, the leader of the defiance campaign, the 'black pimpernel' avoiding the clutches of the security police, the MK commander-in-chief seeking weapons and funding in Africa and unifier and leader on Robben Island, or the negotiator, a statesman and first president of a democratic South Africa, you never lost sight of your role as the leader and servant of the liberation movement.

You have taught us all this lesson, through your commitment, your dedication, your selflessness, your loyalty and your discipline - that to be a true leader is to be a servant of your people. For this we salute you.

The recent period of South African history, since your release from prison, has probably been the greatest test of your leadership abilities and of the movement as a whole. While there have been ups and downs, you have steered the country through the period, through the threat of civil war, with flying colours.

You stood up to the regime in the face of apartheid-sponsored violence in the 1990s, through the collapse of CODESA, the Boipatong massacre and the murder of Chris Hani. While retaining flexibility in tactics, you stood by your fundamental principles and steered the country to its first democratic elections in April 1994.

Under your leadership as the first president of our democratic South Africa, we faced many obstacles. Despite this, you managed to stabilise the country and lay the basis for deepening of our democracy.

During this period we have had our disagreements on some issues. But we have never doubted the fact that you are a loyal friend of workers, and did what you felt was best for workers and the country as a whole. In the face of repeated attacks by those wanting to destroy the Alliance between the ANC, COSATU and the SACP, you have constantly defended its central role in the transformation of our country.

In the five years of your presidency, we managed to achieve:

• Peace and stability;
• Entrenchment of worker rights in progressive labour legislation;
• Extension of basic services to millions of people; and
• Negotiation of what has been described as the best constitution in the world.

You have always placed the issue of addressing the scourge of poverty, unemployment and inequality at the top of the national agenda. No one doubts your concern for the poor and working people. During your retirement, you continue to work for the poor in our rural areas as if you were paid for doing so.

Your love for workers and their organisation has been demonstrated at some of the key crisis moments for the country. In 1995 you led the march by workers here in Johannesburg, in support of a progressive Labour Relations Act. You received a lot of flak for this.

In 1996 when the bosses and some in the media were attacking us, you again stood by COSATU in opposing the inclusion of a lock-out clause in the Constitution. The workers of South Africa will never forget this.

In dedicating this Elijah Barayi award to you, we are saluting the role you have played and continue to play, in improving the lives of our people, especially the worker and the poor. Comrade Madiba, in the words of a popular liberation song which used to be sung by MK troops in Angola, "We shall always love you, we shall need you, for the things you've done for us." Thank you.

"Proud of our history, confident of the future!"

From the statement by COSATU President, Comrade Willie Madisha, on the occasion of COSATU's 15th anniversary, on 2 December 2000, Johannesburg

Today marks a celebration of fifteen years of militant, working class struggles led by COSATU. We look back at these past fifteen years with great pride, proud of the determination, sacrifices, and achievements of both COSATU, and the working class in this country.

More than at any other time in history, COSATU boasts of greater strength, cohesion, unity, and confidence: Strength because it is not only the nearly two million members whose interests we champion, but the whole South African working class that have confidence in COSATU.

Strength because we remain the largest formation of civil society, with functional democratic structures, policies and a clear programme.

Unity because having brought together 33 unions with different traditions, politics and priorities, we now have nineteen affiliates united under the leadership of COSATU.

Unity because COSATU continues to build the broadest possible unity of the working class. From private sector and industry-based membership, COSATU now enjoys a dramatic increase in public sector membership, who now accounts for 40% of COSATU membership.

Confident because, despite what our detractors have often said, poor people, the unemployed and working people have confidence in COSATU. They have confidence because they know that when we speak, we do so not only for our members but for the working class as a whole.

This giant federation, launched in the middle of the state of emergency, had four hundred thousand members; this has grown into nearly two million members, which, according to the ILO is the fastest unionisation rate in the world.

We also gather here today to honour all those who played a historic role in building COSATU into the giant that it is today. We honour these comrades who, in their desire to attain fundamental emancipation for all of South Africa's working class; they saw it as their revolutionary duty to build COSATU.

We pay tribute to the trade union stalwarts such as of RD Naidu, Elijah Barayi, Sam Ntuli, Harry Gwala, Sam Ntambane, Dorothy Mokgalo, Bheki Mkhize, and many others.

We also salute those who are alive, still seized with the struggles to better the lives of our people in other spheres of social and political life. Comrades such as Billy Nair, Chris Dlamini, Jay Naidoo, Cyril Ramaphosa, John Ehrenson, Sydney Mufamadi, John Gomomo, Mbhazima Shilowa, Connie September and many others.

From the speech by Nelson Mandela

The ANC, was the flagship of the Liberation struggle. It was the ANC, with its allies COSATU and the SACP that overthrew white supremacy in this country. The struggle was led by a united and disciplined cadre of leaders like Oliver Tambo, JB Marks and Bram Fischer who braved all the dangers, mobilised the international community and reduced white South Africa to the status of the polecat of the world. They forced the world to condemn apartheid as a crime against humanity.

In our history of more than three centuries, no government or organisation has delivered the services that the ANC has delivered to our people. But the ANC has not forgotten that it could not have brought about these changes without COSATU and the SACP. On the eve of the first elections, when nearly everyone said we should break the alliance, I spoke out loudly - that the Communist Party has been our ally since 1920; it has been in the trenches with us for seven decades. How could we abandon the Communist Party? The people demanding this would not respect us for it.

The ANC has delivered. No white party has done so. However many black stooges they have in leading positions, they remain bosses' parties, white parties.

I have visited every continent in the world and COSATU is one of the most respected organisations. Our government recognises the right of workers to protest. It is confident that COSATU is led by highly talented, highly gifted and experienced leaders.