Removing Zuma won't destroy capitalism, says Saftu

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EKurhuleni – Removing President Jacob Zuma from power will not result in "the death of capitalism", newly formed trade union federation the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) president Mack Chabalala said on Sunday. "To think that by removing Zuma we would have conquered capitalism is a myth... to think that replacing Zuma with [his deputy] Cyril Ramaphosa would change the system is also a myth. Also, by believing that bringing in [presidential hopeful] Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will help us is also a myth," Chabalala told delegates as he closed Saftu's founding congress in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni. "Capitalism, comrades, is demonic, satanic... it's evil. It cannot just be removed by replacing one person by another. The ANC removed [former president Thabo] Mbeki and replaced [him with] Kgalema Motlanthe. He was then replaced by the problem we face today... Jacob Zuma." To get rid of capitalism, socialists should seize power after finding a political home, he said.

"We are in a revolution, a revolution is not a wedding; 2019 [the year of the next general elections] is around the corner and we've resolved as this congress that the working class must find a political home... so it's very important that as we work towards 2019 we take our communities with us towards 2019... no vote should be wasted.

"Our assignment is to make sure we remove the capitalist system and replace it with a socialism... that is our task. The working class must seize power. And after that what do you do? You turn the means of production to the state power... that is the first assignment," Chabalala said.

The federation has punted itself as a politically independent organisation controlled by the workers. However, its leftist, socialist ideologies saw it debating political power and whether, among others, it should be part of a workers' party, notably the United Front formed by the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa).

The congress agreed to establish a political and ideological commission where Saftu's political stance would be further discussed.