DIRCO restricts Labour20

Dear Editor

In a meeting of parliament’s Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) this morning, it was revealed that Labour20, South Africa’s G20 presidency platform which represents worker’s interests, has been restricted to an ANC-aligned political platform dominated by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

So blatant is the politicisation of the Labour20 platform that the COSATU Zoom presentation was delivered by the organisation’s parliamentary coordinator, Matthew Parks, seated in front of an ANC flag.

While COSATU is South Africa’s largest representative of labour unions, it is an active member of the tripartite alliance which supports the ANC electorally and bolsters its policy. Furthermore, COSATU places its members’ interests above South Africa’s stability, often resorting to plunging governments and society into turmoil to satiate the often arbitrary and impossible demands of its members alone.

None of this advances job creation or the rights of the millions of South Africa’s unemployed. COSATU cannot be permitted to dominate South Africa’s Labour20 platform as it has always and continues to operate with very public political interests in favour of the ANC.

This seeming preference by DIRCO for left-leaning and ANC-aligned organisations to take part in the many working groups under South Africa’s G20 presidency not only goes against our claimed G20 philosophy which “emphasises the interconnectedness of individuals within broader communal, societal, environmental, and spiritual contexts”, but does not honour or reflect South Africa’s new political reality of coalition governance at a national level.

Just as the Government of National Unity (GNU) represents a plurality of South African voices in the national executive, so must our nation’s G20 presidency represent a diversity of ideas and policy positions to solve our country’s most pressing problems.

The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) desired outcomes for South Africa’s G20 Presidency, submitted in a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa last year, emphasised that the Think 20 (T20), and broader engagement groups such as Labour20 (L20) and Business20 (B20), must seek to address current and emerging challenges to South Africa through innovation and data-driven approaches to sustainable governance.

For South Africa and the region, this must bring together local and international experts, academics, and industry leaders to pursue greater collaboration between private expertise and the state apparatus.

In light of the above, the DA will be writing to DIRCO Minister, Ronald Lamola, requesting that he extend invitations for the L20 and B20 platforms to the following organisations non-exclusively:

• The National Employers Association of South Africa (NEASA);
• The Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE);
• The Brenthurst Foundation;
• The South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR);
• Sakeliga;
• Centre for Risk Analysis.

Discussions around economic and job creation policies, especially those pertaining to labour relations, are rooted in the GNU’s Basic Minimum Programme of Priorities to advance rapid, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth as outlined in the statement of intent. South Africa’s G20 must embody and be reflective of this commitment as we host this crucial international engagement.

COSATU does not hold the monopoly on labour issues in South Africa and should not be the sole representative on labour concerns in our G20 presidency.

The DA is committed to ensuring that South Africa’s G20 presidency is beneficial to all South Africans and brings meaningful policy change and governance reform through shared international best practice. We urge Minister Lamola to open up G20 platforms to be more representative of all of South African civil society, leading academics and policymakers.

Regards

Ryan Smith MP
DA Deputy Spokesperson on International Relations & Cooperation