/ 20 September 2013

Cosatu vows to help to fund ANC’s election campaign

Cosatu Vows To Help To Fund Anc's Election Campaign

Cosatu's central executive committee has pledged its financial support for the ANC during the 2014 national and provincial elections by imposing a political levy on its affiliates in order to provide the resources for the ANC's campaign. The political levies are to be paid by the end of October.

Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini on Thursday said that the DA's threat to take Cosatu to court was politicking.

"It is a matter of being jealous of our relationship with the ANC," Dlamini said.

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"It is nothing but a political gimmick. They can go to court. What we know is that we are within our rights to use our money to go and support the ANC's election campaign and make sure it gets a decisive majority at the polls. The ANC shall win."

Bheki Ntshalintshali, Cosatu's deputy secretary, said that the DA had no legal basis to take the federation to court and succeed.

"The DA is wrong and the court will disagree with them," he said. "The law says don't take from affiliates' subscriptions. The decision to contribute towards a political levy is up to members. The DA is too desperate. We will meet them in court."

All Cosatu affiliates contribute towards a political levy, which is mainly used to campaign for the ANC. Documents seen by the Mail & Guardian show that Cosatu affiliates have so far paid just more than R3-million for the 2013 political levy.

The National Union of Metal­workers of South Africa has recently threatened to stop funding the ANC if the suspension of the federation's general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi was not lifted. The total figure for the political levy expected for this year alone is R8-million.

The DA has threatened to take Cosatu to court because it believes that workers' money should not be used to sponsor the ANC's election campaign.