# ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe has walked out of COSATU’s congress after objecting to the order of speeches. Mantashe, who was leading the ANC delegation, insisted on speaking last, saying this was the established tradition. The programme placed the South African Communist Party ahead of the ANC, followed by the South African National Civic Organisation. Efforts to persuade Mantashe to stay were unsuccessful. The incident adds to tensions within the alliance, as the SACP prepares to contest November’s local government elections independently.
Mantashe walks out of Cosatu congress