Like it or loathe it, the country's major labour federation and its affiliates are now embroiled in the ANC succession battle. And there seems no way they can extricate themselves from this often ugly power play.
So various manoeuvrings are under way, with back-stabbing of any senior figure daring to call for financial and political accountability that might rebound on the dominant line. In the back-stabbing stakes, Willie Madisha, president of both Cosatu and the SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu), is again much in front.
Next Wednesday, at the Sadtu national general council in Johannesburg, the Eastern Cape branch will formally table a motion of no confidence in Madisha, following its call last week for his resignation.
The 10-point resolution refers to Madisha's "lack of revolutionary and organisational discipline", reflected apparently in "recent developments around conduct". It repeats the allegation that he "is always on public discourse to expose internal discussion".
These allegations seem to relate to statements Madisha made defending himself about the claim of a R500 000 cash donation to the SA Communist Party (SACP) by now jailed businessman Charles Modise.
The alleged disappearance of the money, which may or may not have been delivered to SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande, reflects badly on the party. And the SACP wields considerable influence in Cosatu and its affiliates. It is also the driving force behind the campaign to elect ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma to lead the ANC and the country.
Madisha not only stated, with the support of a witness, that he had handed the money to Nzimande, he made powerful enemies when he would not agree to support Zuma. Yet he is no supporter of President Thabo Mbeki either.
He is perhaps the most prominent of the trade unionists to refuse the simplistic "either Mbeki or Zuma" proposition. He also, as far back as January last year, started pressing for greater financial accountability within various bodies linked to Cosatu and the SACP.
He seems to have supported Phillip Dexter, the SACP treasurer who was involved in an acrimonious row with Nzimande before being sacked as party treasurer and suspended from SACP membership. Dexter pointed out in August that the SACP lacked proper financial controls.
A financial report presented by Dexter to the SACP was subsequently amended before being presented to the party congress. One of the accusations in the report was that as much as R1.7 million in donations to the party remained unaccounted for.
Says one senior SACP member: "This whole business has nothing to do with ideology, a little to do with political power - and everything to do with money."
As chairman of the Labour Job Creation Trust, Madisha had considerable influence over the disbursement of the fund's R80 million-plus, in conjunction with the Development Bank of Southern Africa. It appears to have been reasonably well run.
However, at least one SACP-linked body was refused funding last year for "lack of adequate accountability". Some of Madisha's supporters see this as the main reason for what they claim is his "persecution".
So far, Madisha has not commented on this. Supporters suggest that "lifestyle audits" be carried out on him and other SACP and Cosatu leaders.
They also point out that the car he drives belongs to the union and that "his children go to ordinary township schools".
This row has all the makings of a verbal war. And, as in any war, truth may be the first casualty.