Eight Cosatu affiliates calling for a special congress to elect new leaders have painted a disturbing picture of a labour federation led by unruly gangsters and thugs who behaved like drunkards in a tavern.
At the centre of the anarchy in the federation is the intention to expel the vocal National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and ultimately the Cosatu secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi.
Numsa’s resolution not to back the ANC during the previous election and to facilitate the formation of a United Front has infuriated some within Cosatu and the ANC.
To resolve the impasse the eight affiliates of Cosatu are demanding a special congress to elect new leaders.
Numsa and the other seven – the Communication Workers’ Union‚ the Democratic Nurses’ Union of South Africa‚ the Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Fawu)‚ the Public and Allied Workers’ Union of South Africa‚ the South African Commercial and Catering Workers’ Union‚ South African Football Players’ Union‚ and South African State and Allied Workers Union – said they would today reinstate their court case to force Cosatu to hold a special congress. Rival unions – the National Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu)‚ National Union of Mineworkers and the SA Transport Workers Union – are baying for Numsa and Vavi’s blood.
Numsa’s deputy general secretary Karl Kloete said the unions that support Numsa and Vavi would still attend the central committee meeting (CEC) tomorrow.
Fawu deputy secretary Moleko Phakedi called on workers to rise up against the national office bearers and defend Cosatu before it was destroyed.
“It is impossible for the nobs of Cosatu, who have shown their hand, to accord comrade Vavi a fair hearing,” he said.
“ We have reinstated our court case to compel Cosatu to hold a special congress as the crisis can clearly only be resolved by ordinary members of affiliates of Cosatu.”
Numsa president Andrew Chirwa opened the floodgates for other affiliates to vent their frustration about the CEC of Cosatu.
“The CEC is reduced to a meeting of gangsters. The gangsters use the CEC to advance their agenda‚ and we cannot leave Cosatu in the hands of thugs‚” he said.
Kloete said the meetings of the CEC were conducted like those of the “gangsters” in the “shebeen”.
In a separate matter, Vavi defended his use of the word “nopatazana” (woman of loose morals) to describe a woman with whom he had sex in his office.
In court papers filed last week in the Johannesburg High Court in defence of a R4-million lawsuit against him, Cosatu and Numsa, the federation also distanced itself from a R3-million suit in connection with a statement defending him.
Vavi’s ex-lover, Jaqueline Phooko, wants the Cosatu general secretary to pay R600000 for calling her “nopatazana” and for saying her sexual harassment case was a plot to extort money from him.
In September last year, Vavi apologised for using the word “nopatazana”, saying he should “not have used that term” and that it was “unpleasant” while addressing supporters in Eastern Cape.
But in court papers Vavi claims the word is not defamatory and its English translation, a woman of low morals, was incorrect.
“The first defendant pleads that he uttered the sentence complained of with the intention of explaining and-or apologising to his constituency for his conduct in having an extra-marital affair with a younger woman, and also in the belief that the word ‘nopatazana’ is not derogatory,” his defence says.
“The first defendant pleads that he uttered the sentence complained of in the exercise of his rights … did not constitute a statement of fact and would have been understood as commentary or opinion by a reasonable listener.”
Phooko is also suing Cosatu for R3-million for carrying a statement on its website on July 27 last year which she argues was intended to paint her as a “liar, adulterer, criminal, dishonest employee, manipulative wife, political mole and a person without moral standards”.
In its defence, Cosatu distanced itself from the statement, saying it was not published by “anyone who was authorised to do so by the second defendant … or who was acting within the course and scope of his or her employment with the second defendant”.
It also denied sanctioning publication of the statement.
She also demanded R500000 from Numsa after its KwaZulu-Natal secretary Mbuso Ngubane said last year she was “coerced to falsify the rape claim in order to destroy comrade Vavi’s political integrity and standing in society”.
Vavi said he did not want to conduct a hearing through the media.
Phooko reached a settlement with Cosatu after she was suspended.
Cosatu is 'led by gangsters'
At the centre of the anarchy in the federation is the intention to expel the vocal National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and ultimately the Cosatu secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi.
Numsa’s resolution not to back the ANC during the previous election and to facilitate the formation of a United Front has infuriated some within Cosatu and the ANC.
To resolve the impasse the eight affiliates of Cosatu are demanding a special congress to elect new leaders.
Numsa and the other seven – the Communication Workers’ Union‚ the Democratic Nurses’ Union of South Africa‚ the Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Fawu)‚ the Public and Allied Workers’ Union of South Africa‚ the South African Commercial and Catering Workers’ Union‚ South African Football Players’ Union‚ and South African State and Allied Workers Union – said they would today reinstate their court case to force Cosatu to hold a special congress. Rival unions – the National Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu)‚ National Union of Mineworkers and the SA Transport Workers Union – are baying for Numsa and Vavi’s blood.
Numsa’s deputy general secretary Karl Kloete said the unions that support Numsa and Vavi would still attend the central committee meeting (CEC) tomorrow.
Fawu deputy secretary Moleko Phakedi called on workers to rise up against the national office bearers and defend Cosatu before it was destroyed.
“It is impossible for the nobs of Cosatu, who have shown their hand, to accord comrade Vavi a fair hearing,” he said.
“ We have reinstated our court case to compel Cosatu to hold a special congress as the crisis can clearly only be resolved by ordinary members of affiliates of Cosatu.”
Numsa president Andrew Chirwa opened the floodgates for other affiliates to vent their frustration about the CEC of Cosatu.
“The CEC is reduced to a meeting of gangsters. The gangsters use the CEC to advance their agenda‚ and we cannot leave Cosatu in the hands of thugs‚” he said.
Kloete said the meetings of the CEC were conducted like those of the “gangsters” in the “shebeen”.
In a separate matter, Vavi defended his use of the word “nopatazana” (woman of loose morals) to describe a woman with whom he had sex in his office.
In court papers filed last week in the Johannesburg High Court in defence of a R4-million lawsuit against him, Cosatu and Numsa, the federation also distanced itself from a R3-million suit in connection with a statement defending him.
Vavi’s ex-lover, Jaqueline Phooko, wants the Cosatu general secretary to pay R600000 for calling her “nopatazana” and for saying her sexual harassment case was a plot to extort money from him.
In September last year, Vavi apologised for using the word “nopatazana”, saying he should “not have used that term” and that it was “unpleasant” while addressing supporters in Eastern Cape.
But in court papers Vavi claims the word is not defamatory and its English translation, a woman of low morals, was incorrect.
“The first defendant pleads that he uttered the sentence complained of with the intention of explaining and-or apologising to his constituency for his conduct in having an extra-marital affair with a younger woman, and also in the belief that the word ‘nopatazana’ is not derogatory,” his defence says.
“The first defendant pleads that he uttered the sentence complained of in the exercise of his rights … did not constitute a statement of fact and would have been understood as commentary or opinion by a reasonable listener.”
Phooko is also suing Cosatu for R3-million for carrying a statement on its website on July 27 last year which she argues was intended to paint her as a “liar, adulterer, criminal, dishonest employee, manipulative wife, political mole and a person without moral standards”.
In its defence, Cosatu distanced itself from the statement, saying it was not published by “anyone who was authorised to do so by the second defendant … or who was acting within the course and scope of his or her employment with the second defendant”.
It also denied sanctioning publication of the statement.
She also demanded R500000 from Numsa after its KwaZulu-Natal secretary Mbuso Ngubane said last year she was “coerced to falsify the rape claim in order to destroy comrade Vavi’s political integrity and standing in society”.
Vavi said he did not want to conduct a hearing through the media.
Phooko reached a settlement with Cosatu after she was suspended.
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