Absolutely. Generally speaking, the Alliance is quite left-wing — against privatisations, automatically suspicious of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and so on. But as I said, it is still too early to see how this standpoint will be translated into concrete policies. • Can the USA, France and South Africa impose their priorities on the Congo?
No, not at all. The general tendency is in the other direction: clear independence, coupled with a willingness to work with all foreign parties in the search of the best solutions to our problems. The French media are wrong to say that Congo is switching over to the "anglo-saxon" zone of influence. We are South Africa not a nation of amnesiacs. We remember perfectly well that the disastrous state of our country is due to Mobutu's role as valet of the Americans. After what we have just been through, we are hardly going to throw ourselves back into Washington's arms!
What we would like to see is the French people redefining their country's relationship with African countries. We are convinced that, in development questions, we can find a series of mutually advantageous agreements. • What kind of solidarity can we offer?
We face a massive, well-organised propaganda campaign, led mainly by part of the French oligarchy, frustrated at the loss of one of their most faithful servants. What we would like to do is develop direct relationships with the French population, which was never involved in that unjust policy of their leaders. We hope that you, the left, will organise popular and trade union mobilisations demanding the seizure of Mobutu's assets, and the cancellation of our country's foreign debts. And direct links with your counterparts in Congo! These type of activities would be very useful to us, but for the moment we lack the formal contacts. * Interviewed in Kinshasa by telephone on 1 June 1997 by Albert Mathieu.
jobs situation. We have created a kind of General strike over employment conditions "infobank" to try to match unemployed people with qualifications with those who
As Health Minister, I have been instructed to overhaul a number of medical establishments. In the first phase, I hope to establish six new centres, one in each province. I will also try to end the system wherebv patients must buy their own medicines, outside the hospitals. This means supplying the hospitals with the necessary pharmaceutical products.
We are also determined to improve the security of the citizens and their property. In agriculture, we will take measures to improve the supply of food to the population. And we will reform the currency since, at the moment, the Zaire monetary system has broken down, which makes exchanges difficult. The National Bank of South Africa will help us introduce the new currency. • The Alliance says it wants a 'social market economy'. What does this mean?
Look. The "social market economy" is a market economy which tries to take certain social aspects into account. It is a capitalist type of economy. We in the Patriotic Front oppose this orientation, just as we said in the Sovereign National Conference.
We think that, now that the Alliance dominates a national government, composed 26 International Viewpoint #291
On 2 June, more than two millions workers responded to the call by COSATU for a 24 hour general strike in support of demands for better conditions of employment. In all cities and towns, workers also attended marches and rallies, except in KwaZulu natal where a stay away was called. Reports thus far indicate that well over a quarter of a million attended rallies and marches.
This was the third since the 1994 elections. As is often the case, most commentators have claimed that the action means that the Alliance [between the ANC, Communist Party and COSATU] is about to collapse. Nothing can be further from the truth. The ANC and the Communist party have supported the need for the broadest mobilisation of workers in support of the need for progressive legislation. In general, legislative proposals by the government are aimed at correcting the imbalances and injustices of the apartheid era."
COSATU's demands include
• a 45 hour working week immediately, and a phased reduction to 40 hours/week over five years. The confederation estimates that the reduction to 45 hours will benefit "more than 2 million workers most of whom are unorganised or vulnerable." • Six months maternity leave of which at least 4 months should be paid. The government is only proposing an increase from 3 to 4 months. Women's social security (UIF) benefits should not be exhausted during maternity leave. "As a movement committed to women's equality, we will fight this one to the bitter end • resistance to "the potential of "downward variation" under the guise of "flexibility", which would be an erosion of workers basic rights; and the extensive discretion of the Minister to vary (including potentially downgrade) the basic conditions of • "We reject the employers' demand that Sunday work be regarded as a normal day. In this regard we agree with the government approach even though there are areas that require tightening. * Source: COSATU press statement "Defend, Consolidate and advance transformation," 2 June 1997