The interventions of provincial politicians and Membathisi Mdladlana, the labour minister, has not clarified matters. They have tended to ascribe blame for a damaging situation to conspiratorial 'ultraleftist' groupings. That is the sort of simplistic scapegoating one should expect from politicians. It is in their interests to present themselves as the sole sources of stability in a world filled with devious and powerful forces bent on anarchy and destruction. However comforting such simple, good versus evil images may seem, they are seldom accurate.
Life is much more complex.
The fact that the VWSA dispute still shows no signs of disappearing should be evidence enough of that. It demanded certain work practices about which a number of workers were not too happy. The second fact is that a significant minority of the largely ANCsupporting workforce support other political parties. This provides a potentially divisive situation, especially when the union leadership appears to some workers to ignore the democratic constitution and traditions of the union. It was a strike at VWSA, but against the union leadership.