A dedicated activist and problem solver

Trevor Manuel pays tribute to John Ernstzen (1940-2022)

John Henry Ernstzen, who has died aged 82, was among the finest activists of a generation. John’s greatness was of dedication, service and charm, not the trappings of power and wealth. He lived a life of commitment to democracy, justice and peace, a life that in many ways reflected his own struggles as a worker and activist.

Much of what we now take for granted (and even, sadly, abuse) by way of rights — the right to the basic decency of employment, to organise freely and in a nonracial manner, to respect in the workplace — reflects the struggles John waged throughout his life.

John lived by the ethos that organisations matter deeply because they give voice to the needs and struggles of workers. He could detail every aspect of the journey to build a strong union, from the pride of ownership of the old Cape Town Municipal Workers Association (CTMWA) offices in Athlone built with contributions of members, to the operations of shop stewards’ councils and what they mean for decisionmaking. The stories retold are the stories of workers empowered by process, rather than mere declarations by union officials.

The United Front Song by Bertolt Brecht in many ways captured the life in unionism by which John lived. I have not updated the words (which I consider sexist and anti-vegetarian), but am mindful that it was written in 1934:

And because man is human

He’ll want to eat, and thanks a lot

But talk can’t take the place of meat

Or fill an empty pot.

So left, two, three!

So left, two, three!

Comrade there’s a place for you.

Take your stand in the workers’ united front

For you are a worker too.

And because man is human

He won’t care for a kick in the face.

He doesn’t want slaves under him

Or above him a ruling class.

In building the united front, John’s style took him far beyond the narrow confines of his circle of municipal workers. About 40 years ago, I was part of a group of young “Congress” activists who approached John and explained that we were tasked with building a united front to advance the struggle for democracy.

We approached him knowing that his political outlook differed from ours. This did not deter him. We compiled a list of dozens of groupings (the Western Cape was infamous for having all these factions, fractions and splinters) and he set about arranging meetings with as many as he could. We met them on the neutral ground of his office. He did this to enable us to discharge our mandate in building what became the United Democratic Front. None of these groupings could claim they had been politically excluded. What was in it for John? Only the joy of service.

The building of trade union unity was much the same detailed process. Cosatu did not just drop from the sky at its launch in Durban on December 1 1985: it was preceded by thousands of hours of meetings involving persuasion and negotiating skills to deliver a single federation that all unionists could live with. John’s persuasive skills are written all over that piece of our history. At that stage, he persuaded the CTMWA to be absorbed into a to-be-established South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) to advance the interests of municipal workers across the country.

In his later years, John was deeply concerned about the extent to which trade union unity has been dismantled and how the standards on which the unions were built have been eroded. He expressed a view that the status quo is untenable because it affects the lives of workers (to the extent that people even have jobs), and not the lives of the leaders. He said to me a few months ago, with much sadness, that worker leadership and worker control appear to be a long-forgotten principle.

With Samwu established, John was able to move on to the next big challenge of democracy: the task of building a single public service, as required by our constitution. He did so as the adviser to Zola Skweyiya, the then minister of public service & administration. Later he was appointed a commissioner on the Public Service Commission and then deputy chair.

The big task was to establish uniformity. Comrade Zola could rely on John’s experience to tackle the problems at various levels, to fight the racism of erstwhile officialdom, to tackle the opportunist money-grabbing tactics of some bantustan officials, to deal with the multiplicity of senior titles and a range of similar, really difficult problems that needed to be solved long after we toyi-toyied in celebration of the adoption of the constitution. The same was true of the appointment of judges — John served on the Judicial Service Commission in its early years and was justifiably proud of the quality of judges who were interviewed and appointed.

Fundamental problems that arose during our transition to democracy were solved because there were problem solvers such as John. He did not have a string of university degrees. But he was a leader who identified and then solved problems. This was his stock-in-trade. He was a leader who could see around corners. We bid farewell to a person who did not pay lip service to building trust and to solidarity, but to one who truly lived it. John understood the key to problem-solving is the building of trust.

Part of the sadness of his departure is that we have not honed a cadre of new leaders with the same aptitude and resilience as comrades such as John. Surely, we must create space for a generation of leaders who are dedicated listeners and committed activists, who will not be swayed by tweets and slogans. It is almost as though we need to make a call to start again and build again: the old generation is fading fast and the next does not appear ready to advance on the path of the same values. Surely, as we bid farewell to John, we must recognise that our most important mission is to secure the fruits of our democracy.