The political hurricane blasting ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma towards the presidency of the party and the country has dramatically intensified.

To the roaring, chanting approval of more than a thousand delegates at the congress of SA’s biggest teaching union on Friday, Zuma launched a fierce attack on key policies of President Thabo Mbeki, whom he accuses of leading a political conspiracy against him.

Amid clear signs that Mbeki allies in the union movement are being driven off by the sheer power of the Zuma campaign, the former deputy president is now openly challenging Mbeki.

Zuma’s appearance at the congress of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) relegated even ANC chairman Mosioua Lekota, dispatched by the ANC top brass to represent the party, to the role of spectator. Lekota was forced to join in as delegates sang “Zuma, My President”, a popular Zuma faction song.

Education Minister Naledi Pandor tried to avoid sharing the stage with Zuma, but relented when Sadtu leaders invited her on stage as Zuma was speaking.

Both Pandor and Lekota sat stony-faced as Zuma laid into key aspects of Mbeki’s leadership.

Intense pressure is building on Mbeki and his allies in the run-up to the African National Congress’ (ANC’s) elective national conference next December, and ahead of this months key Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) congress.

Cosatu vice-president Joe Nkosi, who is close to the Mbeki faction in the federation, resigned suddenly on Thursday night, in a move that could be a harbinger of the defeat of this faction at this month’s congress.

“The reasons he gives are that he is studying and has to look after a sick child,” said Cosatu in a terse statement announcing the resignation on Friday.

More instructive than Nkosi’s departure will be the fate awaiting Sadtu and Cosatu president Willie Madisha at the upcoming Cosatu congress. It is understood that at least seven Cosatu unions have withdrawn their backing for Madisha, who is percieved to be the leader of a “Mbeki camp” in Cosatu.

These include the powerful National Union of Mineworkers , National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union, National Union of Metalworkers of SA and South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu).

Madisha cut a lonely figure at the Sadtu congress this week.

Zuma used his appearance at the Sadtu congress to deliver his most unambiguously left-leaning speech to date. Sadtu is a powerful Cosatu affiliate that has been at the centre of the battle between supporters of Zuma and Mbeki.

Echoing criticism levelled at Mbeki by Cosatu, Zuma warned against “over-centralisation” of power in the alliance and government.

“We come from a tradition of democratic centralism,” he said, “but we need to emphasise that the ‘democratic’ is as important as the ‘centralism’ in this formulation. This means that we need to reject bureaucratic methods of suppressing debate.”

To thunderous applause, Zuma also weighed into government’s prevarication over HIV and AIDS, and its conservative economic policies. He also took a swipe at Health Minister Manto Tshabalala Msimang’s management of the AIDS pandemic.

“We cannot afford any mixed messages or ambiguity when it comes to the scourge of HIV and AIDS,” he said.

“The lives of all our people are at stake here. I believe that the greatest challenge that our country faces today is that of combating the spread of HIV and AIDS.”

Mbeki himself became the subject of scorn at the congress over his denial of the reality of AIDS. Mbeki has on several occasions said that he had not met anyone suffering from AIDS.

Sadtu general secretary Thulas Nxesi, a Zuma ally, castigated Mbeki for this statement in his secretariat report to congress.

In his speech, Zuma came out against attempts in the ANC to rein in the alliance and Cosatu in particular.

“SA does not need conveyor-belt trade unionism where worker leaders are subordinate to the dictates of political masters,” he said.

This view was apparently meant to counter more conservative leaders in the ANC who want the labour federation to play a less political role and avoid confrontation with government over policy.

A recent Numsa discussion document which cautioned Cosatu against opposing government policy is expected to be rejected by a meeting of Numsa’s national executive this weekend. This will be a further setback for Mbeki supporters in the federation.

Zuma all but endorsed Cosatu’s stated goal to “capture” the ANC and return it to a “pro-poor” stance on economic policy.

The working class, led by Cosatu, remained the most reliable force for “revolutionary change” and should continue to use the ANC as a vehicle for such change, he said. He urged Cosatu and the South African Communist Party (SACP) not to walk away from the alliance.

The drama at Sadtu the Johannesburg congress came a week after ANC MPs rejected an attempt by the National Assemply chief whip, Mbulelo Goniwe, to enforce a pledge of “loyalty to the president” in the ruling party caucus.

MPs in key parliamentary committees have recently also snubbed the executive by rejecting a cabinet decision on restructuring of the electricity sector and a report on the intelligence services.

As Zuma strutted through the Sadtu congress, Mbeki was laid down by a bout of flu that kept him away from both Sadtu and Parliament, where he was due to answer questions on the now scandal-ridden arms deal.

Zuma’s corruption trial resumes in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday, with his lawyers and the state going head to head over the state’s application for a third postponement of proceedings.

With acknowledgement to Karima Brown, Vukani Mde, Amy Musgrave and Business Day Weekender.