CAPE TOWN, May 6 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's largest union federation on Monday called on all workers and South Africans in general to come out to vote for the African National Congress (ANC) in the upcoming elections.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is throwing its full weight behind the ANC in the 2019 national and provincial elections, scheduled for May 8, COSATU national spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said.
"The ANC's record in government and a comparison of the ANC election manifesto with those of all the other parties make it quite clear that it is the only force that can take forward our national democratic revolution and complete the transformation of South Africa," Pamla said.
Although COSATU has at times disagreed with the ANC-led government over certain issues, the government has a proud record of success in building a democratic South Africa and improving the lives of the majority, he said.
COSATU, together with the South African Communist Party (SACP), has been a coalition partner with the ANC since 1994 when the ANC first came to power.
At its 13th National Congress last year, COSATU, which has more than 3 million members, reaffirmed the federation's solid support for its old ally.
The coalition was once on the brink of collapse due to deepening difference among the three parties, but after Cyril Ramaphosa took over Jacob Zuma as ANC president late last year, COSATU mended ties with the ANC.
The SACP has also called on its members to vote for the ANC.
"Our occasional differences are nothing compared to the gulf that separates us from such parties as the Democratic Alliance, which would like to put the ANC's reforms into reverse and pursue policies that would deepen rather than reduce the inequalities in our society," Pamla said, referring to the main opposition coalition.
"Our task now is first and foremost to make sure that the ANC wins a comprehensive victory, nationally and in every province," he said.
Trade unions, civic organizations, nongovernmental organizations and the ANC itself have to be strengthened so that they can push from below to assist the government to overcome any resistance to its policies, Pamla said.
Members of Parliament and cabinet ministers have to play a leading role in transformation but they cannot do it alone, he said.
Under the ANC leadership, South Africa has achieved massive advances in winning democracy and human rights and has started to improve the lives of the majority, but more needs to be done to achieve a similar improvement on the economic front, where the structure of society has changed little since the apartheid days, Pamla said.
Wealth is still concentrated in the hands of a tiny rich elite who own and control the all-powerful banks and mines, while the majority still suffer from mass unemployment and poverty and far too many communities still lack the basic essentials of life, according to Pamla.
"COSATU will do everything in its power to make sure not just that the ANC is victorious but that the votes it receives are repaid in real improvements to our lives," he said.
