A COSATU shop-stewards council meeting degenerated into chaos in East London yesterday as an ANC national executive committee deployee was booed off stage when staunch Zwelinzima Vavi supporters demanded he (Vavi) return to office.
The union federation in the province had a month ago resolved for Vavi’s suspension to be lifted and that Cosatu go to a special congress, a decision which was supposed to have been communicated to the media but was not.
National Union of Metalworkers of South African (Numsa) chairman in the province, Vusumzi Petshwa, said he was disappointed that the resolution was neither implemented nor communicated via a press statement.
This was despite Cosatu provincial secretary Mandla Rayi, earlier disputing any possibility of having the Vavi matter on yesterday’s agenda. A total of eight unions later supported Numsa’s position, with only the National Union of Mines (NUM) and South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) opposing.
The meeting was one of several held across the country to draft a plan for mass action planned against e-tolls and labour brokers from Tuesday. But Vavi supporters at the meeting reduced the gathering into a “Vavi’s return” campaign, as the crowds booed alliance leaders seen to be aligned with President Jacob Zuma within Cosatu and the tripartite alliance.
First in the firing line was Eastern Cape Communist Party secretary Xolile Nqatha, who was booed by the delegates after he criticised alliance members who sang lyrics that indicated they were fully behind leaders.
Later, NUM president Senzo Zokwana, who is seen to be aligned with the pro-Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini’s faction which reportedly wants to kick Vavi out of the federation, was also booed off the stage. Zokwana, who was there as a member of the ANC national executive committee, was addressing workers on the e-tolls and labour brokers when delegates booed him into silence.
He said Cosatu had raised the issue of e-tolls and that they were going to hit the poorest of the poor. But when he started speaking about labour brokers, delegates booed him and started singing.
“We don’t want the capitalist agenda, they killed Chris Hani,” the workers sang.
Zokwana tried to resist, standing on stage for over five minutes, but delegates charged to the floor, singing until Zokwana gave up his address. Pro-Vavi songs were the order of the day, with others singing “this is our Vavi, we will take him by hand and take him to Cosatu” while shirts with Vavi’s face on them were distributed.
Written on one shirt was the following, Vavi Sisonke (Vavi we are in this together), while another asked Sdumo wenzeni uVavi (Sdumo what has Vavi done?)
Vavi allies disrupt meeting
The union federation in the province had a month ago resolved for Vavi’s suspension to be lifted and that Cosatu go to a special congress, a decision which was supposed to have been communicated to the media but was not.
National Union of Metalworkers of South African (Numsa) chairman in the province, Vusumzi Petshwa, said he was disappointed that the resolution was neither implemented nor communicated via a press statement.
This was despite Cosatu provincial secretary Mandla Rayi, earlier disputing any possibility of having the Vavi matter on yesterday’s agenda. A total of eight unions later supported Numsa’s position, with only the National Union of Mines (NUM) and South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) opposing.
The meeting was one of several held across the country to draft a plan for mass action planned against e-tolls and labour brokers from Tuesday. But Vavi supporters at the meeting reduced the gathering into a “Vavi’s return” campaign, as the crowds booed alliance leaders seen to be aligned with President Jacob Zuma within Cosatu and the tripartite alliance.
First in the firing line was Eastern Cape Communist Party secretary Xolile Nqatha, who was booed by the delegates after he criticised alliance members who sang lyrics that indicated they were fully behind leaders.
Later, NUM president Senzo Zokwana, who is seen to be aligned with the pro-Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini’s faction which reportedly wants to kick Vavi out of the federation, was also booed off the stage. Zokwana, who was there as a member of the ANC national executive committee, was addressing workers on the e-tolls and labour brokers when delegates booed him into silence.
He said Cosatu had raised the issue of e-tolls and that they were going to hit the poorest of the poor. But when he started speaking about labour brokers, delegates booed him and started singing.
“We don’t want the capitalist agenda, they killed Chris Hani,” the workers sang.
Zokwana tried to resist, standing on stage for over five minutes, but delegates charged to the floor, singing until Zokwana gave up his address. Pro-Vavi songs were the order of the day, with others singing “this is our Vavi, we will take him by hand and take him to Cosatu” while shirts with Vavi’s face on them were distributed.
Written on one shirt was the following, Vavi Sisonke (Vavi we are in this together), while another asked Sdumo wenzeni uVavi (Sdumo what has Vavi done?)
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