THOUSANDS of signatures have been collected in the Eastern Cape alone in a bid to garner support for embattled Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.
The campaign was officially launched at the Orient Theatre on Wednesday with fellow Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu) leaders and shop stewards present.
Vavi was suspended two months ago after admitting to having sexual relations with a junior official. The woman opened a rape case but later withdrew it. The union is also investigating corruption charges against its suspended boss.
It is unclear whether Cosatu’s provincial executive committee (PEC) would also support the campaign as no official communication of the resolution was made to the union’s 17 affiliates who attended the meeting.
Cosatu provincial secretary Mandla Rayi did not respond to Dispatch texts and telephone calls.
National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) provincial secretary Phumzile Nodongwe said as an affiliate, their hands are still tied “as no word had come from the PEC” after the meeting.
But other unions such as the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) across all its six regions were already hard at work.
The union’s northern region which covers areas like Queenstown, Herschel and Cofimvaba secured 2012 signatures by yesterday morning.
Northern region chairman Aaron Mhlontlo said the “campaign is gaining momentum and we expect no less than half of our 8345 members to sign by the end of the school day (yesterday).”
The campaign is also gaining momentum in the union’s Eastern Region, which covers areas such as Mthatha, Port St Johns and Libode.
Sadtu’s Mthatha branch secretary Mphetheli Hani said more than 600 union members had signed up by yesterday morning, “and the campaign is spreading fast”.
The petition which was circulated at Wednesday’s meeting is addressed to Cosatu’s central executive committee, with the title: “Reinstatement of Zwelinzima Vavi and convening of a special Cosatu congress”.
It states: “We, the undersigned workers who are members of Cosatu affiliated unions have noted the prolonged, unconstitutional, irregular and unfair suspension of our general secretary comrade Vavi.
“We also noted the deliberate delay in convening the special Cosatu congress which was requested by more than eight Cosatu affiliated unions as required by Cosatu’s constitution.
“We therefore demand the immediate reinstatement of Vavi as a matter of urgency.”
Mfundo Tshabe, a Cosatu site steward in the Central Region, which covers King William’s Town, Alice, Fort Beaufort and East London, said he had collected 1686 signatures by midday yesterday. These included both Nehawu and Sadtu members.
But not all Cosatu-affiliated unions are taking part. Nehawu’s provincial secretary Xolani Malamlela said his union “won’t be part of the campaign, as Nehawu national has an official position on the Vavi matter to allow the internal processes to continue”. “We are supposed to abide by it ,” said Malamlela. This was despite some of Nehawu members having signed up.
The Dispatch was unable to reach other unions. — zineg@dispatch.co.za