Inside Africa: S Africa unions to Zuma: Time to go

South Africa’s powerful trades union federation Cosatu has called for President Jacob Zuma to step down.

Its Secretary General Bheki Ntshalintshali said he was no longer the “right person” to lead the country.

Anti-apartheid struggle veterans have also called on the African National Congress (ANC) to recall the president.

Mr Zuma has been under growing pressure following a major cabinet reshuffle which included the sacking of respected Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

That led to South Africa’s credit rating being cut to junk status putting more pressure on a troubled economy.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), a key part of the governing alliance, says it has 1.8 million members.

It forms part of what is called the Tripartite Alliance along with the the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP).

The SACP has also called on Mr Zuma to go.

Cosatu General Secretary of Bheki Ntshalintshali told a media briefing that the union’s decision was driven by Mr Zuma’s failure to consult it before making changes to his cabinet.

He termed the president’s leadership as “inattentive, negligent… and disruptive”.

He added that the organisation was not concerned about Mr Gordhan’s sacking because he was, like his predecessors, “not a friend of the workers”.

“We will support the new minister where necessary and fight with him where necessary,” he added.

Mr Ntshalintshali also criticised ratings agency S&P’s decision to downgrade South Africa to junk status saying the union views it as political interference.

ANC veterans, who include former high commissioners, ministers and many respected anti-apartheid activists, also told a media briefing in Johannesburg that the ANC should do “the honourable thing and recall the president”, especially after the party’s integrity commission advised that he should resign.

Mr Zuma is due to step down in 2019 at the end of his second five-year term as president.

Last week, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa called the sacking of Mr Gordhan “totally unacceptable”.

Later, in a speech at the weekend, which has been interpreted as a public broadside against Mr Zuma, he called for a renewal of the country and criticised “greedy and corrupt people”.