*ADDRESS BY CWU GENERAL SECRETARY, COMRADE AUBREY TSHABALALA TO THE COSAS NATIONAL CONGRESS HELD AT UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG - DELIVERED ON TUESDAY *
*9 DECENBER 2014* *Chairperson of the Session* *President-General of COSAS – Cde Collen Malatjie* *General Secretary of COSAS – Cde Tshiamo Tsotetsi* *NEC Members & Other Leadership Layers* *Leadership from the Progressive Youth Alliance* *Distinguished Guests* *All Delegates* *Comrades and Friends* *Compatriots* Let me first start by thanking you for inviting us and providing us this rare opportunity to address you on behalf of the Communication Workers Union- the leading umbrella body of ICT workers in our country. I therefore bring you warm revolutionary greetings from our National Office Bearers and indeed our entire membership from the length and breadth of South Africa. We are indeed honoured to have been invited to this National Congress of COSAS, our tried and tested revolutionary student movement of our country. This Congress itself is without any doubt the true Parliament of South African Students. For us this marks the deepening of relations between CWU and COSAS, as well as a concrete expression of the inter-dependence between progressive trade union movement and the student movement in our country. This congress coincides with momentous days on our national and global calendar as today is “International Human’s Rights Day” and also the last day of the “16 days of activism”- against children and women’s abuse. In this regard, it’s important to note that education is one of the most basic human’s rights; therefore this congress couldn’t have come at better time. But you are also meeting at a time when our country and the world commemorates exactly one year since the passing on of one of the greatest icons and statesmen of all time, our father of the nation Comrade Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. At this time, it is important that we pause and remind ourselves of some of Madiba’s famous words addressed to the nation in respect of its children, and allow me to extract two of his famous quotes here – - *“Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”* - *“Education is the best weapon you can use to change the world”* As members and leaders of this great organisation COSAS, you share the same responsibility with your parents and the rest of the nation to take forward the great legacy of Madiba. *The Role of COSAS in the Struggle Against Apartheid* The Congress of South African Students has always been and still remains one of the most important revolutionary formations in our country. Since its formation in *1979, *at the height of the struggle against apartheid, it has defined and located itself as part of the progressive forces for national liberation in our country. The struggle for quality free education was the strategic objective that COSAS set itself at its establishment. However, the organisation refused to have its focus narrowly fixed on classroom politics. It correctly understood the historical task and mission of the youth and student of that time as being integrally linked to the broader community struggles to overthrow apartheid colonialism in all its forms. It was COSAS – at the height of repression and police brutality that connected many young people and students with the exiled movement and the underground structures. It was through the efforts of COSAS, amongst other MDM formations in the late 70s and throughout the 80s, that many young activists crossed the borders of SA to join the military wing of the ANC, uMkhonto we Sizwe and countless others connected with the underground cells of MK. For more than 35 years, COSAS has played a catalyst political role to inject and infuse militancy and radicalism among the youth of our country to equip them for the broader struggle for freedom and democracy. The slogan of COSAS: *EACH ONE TEACH ONE *is a profound clarion call which found resonance and clearer meaning for generations of activists during the struggle then, but it is even more relevant today when political education seems to be lacking among many of today’s youth activists who are more concerned and preoccupied with material accumulation. Almost all of today’s leadership of the Alliance and in particular many of us in the Revolutionary Trade Union Movement cut our political teeth in COSAS. For many years, COSAS was the main preparatory political school for activists in the anti-apartheid struggle at a time when the liberation movement was banned and operating from exile. In a sense, this glorious student movement has always been a great reservoir of leadership for both the youth movement and the broader movement inclusive of the progressive organized labour. *Political and Social Role of COSAS Today* The achievement of political freedom in 1994 has brought some gains to the students and youth of our country. The abolishment of Bantu Education – a system deliberately designed by the minority oppressive regime to subjugate the African and Black children as inferior to their white counterparts, is one of the achievements our country could not have won without the contribution and struggle waged by COSAS and other progressive forces. We expect COSAS to continue playing that role even during this current era of political freedom. The opening up of previously whites-only and so-called Model C schools to the African majority and the abolition of the notorious corporal punishment to mention but a few, are all the gains you can pride yourself about. As part of the progressive working class who are the key motive force of the National Democratic Revolution, we as CWU are of the firm view that COSAS remains relevant today, 20 years into democracy. - The creation of a culture of learning and teaching is a task that you must be seized with on a full-time basis. - You have a responsibility to conscientize, politicize and provide ideological direction and clarity to the students of our country to not only defend the democratic gains of our Revolution, but to agitate for meaningful socio-economic empowerment of the youth of our country. It is you the young people of this country who in the main suffer and bear the brunt of the Tripple Crises of Poverty, Unemployment and Inequalities which are so entrenched in South African society today. - You have a responsibility to mobilize and organize the students to join the formations of the Progressive Youth Alliance, COSAS, SASCO, ANC Youth League and the YCL to fight for the rights of this critical stratum of the working class you represent. - You must lead a campaign to inculcate a positive culture and moral outlook among the students away from the destructive use of drugs, alcohol, casual sexual relations, crime and disrespect for the adults in society. In this regard, COSAS must lead in providing positive role-models to the rest of the student population and the youth in general *The Relationship Between COSAS and the Trade Union Movement* Dear Comrades, the need for a closer relationship between COSAS the labour movement has never been as important and necessary than now. The students of today are the workers of tomorrow. Our union the militant Communication Workers Union operates in a terrain where young people are the dominant section of the workforce. Today millions of young people are employed in the many Call Centres of our economy, and the overwhelming majority of them come directly from high schools where you organize. In addition, there are countless other young people working in the broad media Industry in our country. By working together with a union like the CWU, you will be able to better equip your constituency and prepare them not only as passive participants in the world of work, but to become leaders in the workplace. Experience has shown that young people who never participated in student politics or followed the politics beyond the classroom are likely to remain outside unions and become mere, narrow workerists in later years. Most likely, they also become easy victims of manipulation by the bosses and can even become a problem to other workers who are themselves organized. So Comrade President, we throw it as a challenge to this Congress to find some time to reflect on this important matter on how you relate to CWU and indeed the entire trade union movement, especially the progressive component of this movement. You may want to mandate your incoming leadership to initiate bilateral discussions with the NOBs of our union. We would be quite happy to have such an engagement sooner than later. As a union, one of the struggles and campaigns we are involved with is the one on Decent, Quality Jobs which is a Campaign of our Federation COSATU as well. Many young people coming out of school face exploitation in the various Internship and Learnership Programmes. (Down with Exploitation of our young workers down!!) Whereas these programmes and interventions are by themselves not a bad idea considering the fact that many leaders and students who graduate from our high schools and universities lack the requisite skills needed by the economy due to our curriculum, young people in these learnerships and internships must be paid better remuneration and enjoy benefits that other workers have. CWU has already championed the campaign of text book delivery through South African Post Office, which will be efficient. We were happy that some of the Provinces have taken this campaign into practice and we trust that they'll follow suit. This campaign further says that tenderpreneurship at the expense of our children's education should purge. The state must deliver this service and not the profit-driven private sector and its tenderpreneurs. - *Phansi ngama tenderpreneurs phansi! * We must continue to fight for unity and cohesion in COSATU. The federation that is independent, militant, programmatic and fearless in championing workers interest. We must condemn at all times any attempts to divide workers and weaken their bargaining power; the expulsion of NUMSA was indeed a political disaster. This decision has a potential of weakening the federation and reduce it to a sweetheart darling union which will leave workers vulnerable. You as the children of the working class must always remember that you survive through the sweat and toils of the workers, who are basically your own fathers, mothers, your brothers and sisters in any case. A weaker federation to us means poor working conditions and inferior salaries, as a result it means a hungry child to school and the future of the nation suffers whilst Capitalism triumph. *Towards a Skills Revolution To Benefit School Graduates* Dear Comrades, your Congress takes place not so long after our own National Congress of CWU held at the end of September this year. One of the Resolutions adopted by our Congress is on Skills Development of the workers in South Africa’s ICT sector, a sector which is sophisticated and high-tech. We have said we want the captains of industry in the ICT especially your private sector which is not doing enough compared to the state, to invest more on skills training to enhance expertise and technological advancement of especially young people who come out of matric and do not have the opportunity to go to the technical or vocational colleges and universities of technology in order to create space for them to enter this sector. We firmly believe that as a country we need to strive for a better future for our young people. A future where skills development is critical and become imperative for our national agenda – in particular in the ICT sector which is the fastest growing sector in the global economy, including ours. Working together with COSAS, we in CWU will work hard and if needs be mount a concerted campaign to ensure that the noble vision of Free Quality Public Education is attained. Education and lifelong learning must become fashionable from primary or crèche up to higher education level. This has to remain our collective focus in the interest of particularly students from poor and working class background. This country and the ruling Alliance owe it to its people to make sure that you have a secure future post-schooling and that you are not confined to the margins of society. As our great leader and late President of our liberation movement Oliver Tambo once said, and I quote: *“A country that does not value its youth, does not deserve its future.”* With these few words, and on behalf of our Red Trade Union CWU, we really wish you a successful conference! May COSAS emerge from this Congress even Stronger! Aluta Continua!! Amandla Ngawethu!! -- -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "YCLSA Discussion Forum" group. 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