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South Africa’s largest labor union has announced it will break away from the African National Congress to form a new socialist party. It follows a successful strike that has provoked political disputes in South Africa.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA)has sent tidal waves through the coalition of political and labor groups that have dominated the country since apartheid was ended in 1994, following the first free elections, won by Nelson Mandela.
“We decided to break with the alliance, and we resolved to form a united front and explore the possibility for socialism in South Africa,” NUMSA said in a statement. “The United Front is a mobilising tool to organize the working class around working class issues and to build working class confidence, and working class consciousness for working class power.”
Since apartheid, South African politics has been dominated by an alliance between the African National Congress (ANC), the South African Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) to which NUMSA belongs.
But now there is a tension in the three-way power structure. The ANC, led by President Jacob G. Zuma, has faced discontentment and allegations of corruption and mismanagement.
NUMSA, which represents 340,000 workers, has moved to the left following disputes with the ANC over labor and economic issues.
On July 28, 2014, NUMSA ended a strike by 220,000 of its members after reaching an agreement for a wage increase. The strike had shut down production at General Motors facilities and in other parts of the automotive industry, whose workers NUMSA represents.
Irvin Jim, the secretary general of NUMSA, said that the workers had agreed to a 10 percent pay hike for the lowest paid employees and that the overwhelming majority of his members voted in favor of the deal.
The strike, having impacted on 2,000 companies throughout South Africa, reportedly cost the owners of the affected firms US $30 million per day. This was part of a series of strikes that has hit South Africa in major industries for the past two years.
The metal workers union has also expressed concern that it has been targeted by violence. On August 6, 2014, shop stewards Njabulo Dube, Sibonelo "John-John" Ntuli, and Ntobeko Maphumulo were killed on Wednesday, August 6 on their way back from a NUMSA International Symposium of Left Parties and Movements meeting in Durban.
“The union has been reliably informed by witnesses that an unidentified car arrived where the four NUMSA members were and opened fire, mainly targeting the three. All three died on the scene,” NUMSA said in a statement.
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