If Cosatu lost at the ANC's elective conference in December, it was in failing to convince the ruling party to ditch the economic plan crafted under the guiding hands of Trevor Manuel and Cyril Ramaphosa for its own.
As it is, the National Development Plan has been heralded by President Jacob Zuma as the next big thing for the party, and the union federation has once again found itself ignored. After Mangaung, the federation must deal with the continuing labour unrest in the farmlands and the aftermath of Marikana, while campaining for its economic policies from outside of the ANC. The brittle relationship between ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe and Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi - the tensions erupted at the conference when the latter spoke out of turn - will continue to deteriorate as e-tolling and the Protection of State Information Bill are bound to be continuing sticking points. If the last year did not end well, the new one doesn't promise to be easier.
