South Africa's Cosatu trade union federation threw its weight behind the African National Congress (ANC) election campaign this week, welcoming the manifesto launched last weekend by President Jacob Zuma.

Around 50,000 ANC supporters, wearing the party's yellow, green and black colours had crammed into Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga province, with others watching proceedings on CCTV relays.

One group carried a cardboard coffin emblazoned with RIP Juju, referring to expelled ANC Youth League president Julius Malema, who claimed last September to have 295,000 paid-up members of his Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Mpumalanga alone.

Malema declared then that he expected the EFF to win this year's elections, although a recent opinion poll shows the ANC with a clear majority in six of the nine provinces.

Appraising the manifesto, acting general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali pointed out that Cosatu had been involved in drafting it, raising "a basket of issues, some of which were adopted, others not.

"Overall, however, the federation welcomes the manifesto, which takes on board many of the demands of the working class."

Specific issues highlighted by Cosatu include commitments to:

• Procure at least 75 per cent of its goods locally
• Enhance equality measures in the Employment Equity Act
• Strengthen collective bargaining in all sectors of the economy
• Look into the modalities of a national minimum wage
• Make far-reaching reforms in the financial sector
• Roll out a massive economic and social infrastructure programme, especially in energy, public transport, ICT and water supply
• Enforce legislation to eliminate abusive work practices in atypical work and labour brokering.

The trade union body hailed ANC identification of job creation as one of five priorities for the next five years, pointing to "industrialisation as a key job creation driver."

The government is committed to investment in infrastructure to unlock the country's vast mineral wealth, create jobs and support the local bene?ciation of mineral deposits.

"We are now more than ever convinced that only the ANC is capable of improving the lives of workers and the poor," he concluded.

"This election manifesto is a true reflection of the aspirations of millions of South Africans who choose to be part of the solution by renewing the mandate of the ANC."

Teachers' union Sadtu welcomed education pledges, including free tuition at all levels over the next five years and formalisation of employment conditions for early childhood development teachers.

"We welcome the opening of two new universities in Mpumalanga and Northern Cape, a university of science in Gauteng and the expansion of further education and training colleges by establishing 12 new colleges," Sadtu added.

The union also looked forward to the introduction of a National Health Insurance scheme.

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) reserved special praise for anti-corruption plans.

It underlined Popcru members' role in ridding the country "of this societal ill that steals important resources from public coffers and channels it to individuals.

"We are well aware as Popcru that, if we want to make sure that development and service delivery is carried out to all corners of the country, the first step is to get rid of corruption."

While Cosatu backing for the ANC is whole-hearted, concerns remain over the National Development Plan (NDP) that were voiced by trade unions and the Communist Party, the third leg of the ANC-led revolutionary alliance.

Cosatu president Sidumo Dlamini took a "win some, lose some" stance towards the issue, along with the youth wage subsidy and e-tolling on motorways, on which the ANC leadership has ignored Cosatu-South African Communist Party representations.

He said that Cosatu was pleased with reassurances from the ANC that the NDP was a "living document" that could be adapted.

Explaining his take on the disagreements within the alliance, President Zuma stressed that the unions could not expect to "co-govern" with the ANC.

Such a scenario belonged to another economic system, he pointed out.

Support for the manifesto is not universal, with the largest Cosatu affiliate, metalworkers' union Numsa, having already announced that it will not campaign for or contribute to the ANC in this year's elections.

Disagreement with Cosatu is not confined to links with the ANC but involves the suspension five months ago of general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, who received his charge sheet this week.

Both Numsa and food workers' union Fawu opposed Vavi's suspension and demand his reinstatement.

Ntshalintshali said that this was an internal matter that would be dealt with accordingly, adding: "We want to give respect to the comrades concerned. They are still our comrades, we are working with them and we have not written them off that they will never return to the federation."

Dlamini said that it was vital to "respect the process," which did not only concern individuals but "the ability of an organisation to take action."

The Cosatu president revealed that he had written to Numsa requesting a meeting to discuss resolutions taken at its December congress.

"We must have that meeting so that we can clear up a number of issues. That meeting is very, very critical," Dlamini emphasised.

Such a meeting could begin to rebuild bridges among the unions or it might herald the expulsion of Numsa from Cosatu.