Agents provocateur from abroad working with some within Cosatu are campaigning to destabilise the federation and divide the ruling alliance, it has been claimed.
Speaking at the organisation’s elective congress, which started yesterday, Cosatu president S’dumo Dlamini said the truth would emerge as workers fought to keep the federation united.
Dlamini said money was destroying the federation and it was “eating itself”.
The Cosatu’s congress comes after months of infighting that saw thousand of union members from Numsa and other unions expelled and the federations’ general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi shown the door.
Yesterday there was chaos as affiliates spent the morning fighting over the credentials of leaders in the congress.
The Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) was eventually defeated in its bid to have Cosatu’s second deputy president Zingiswa Losi and the newly forced Limusa excluded from the congress, but proceedings were badly delayed.
Fawu questioned Losi and Limusa’s credentials and argued that neither was supposed to be part of the congress.
Losi was rescued by police union Popcru, which elected her as a shop steward.
Limusa, formed after the expulsion of Numsa, was accepted by Cosatu’s central executive committee but Fawu dissented.
In his address, Dlamini called on affiliated unions to defend the federation against attempts to destroy it.
He accused foreign countries, particularly the US, of paying some unions and leaders to destroy Cosatu.
“People are pumping money to destroy Cosatu. After showing America proof they were funding ... they admitted it,” he said.
“This congress has to reassert Cosatu’s character of discipline, militancy and campaigning.”
He said the government should desist from touching workers’ provident and retirement funds.
In his address to the congress, which was delayed for several hours, President Jacob Zuma told delegates that the unity of Cosatu was important in fighting for workers’ rights.
He emphasised the importance of the ruling alliance to the struggle. The congress should ask if conditions that brought the alliance together still existed.
The congress continues today.
Chaos reigns at Cosatu congress
Speaking at the organisation’s elective congress, which started yesterday, Cosatu president S’dumo Dlamini said the truth would emerge as workers fought to keep the federation united.
Dlamini said money was destroying the federation and it was “eating itself”.
The Cosatu’s congress comes after months of infighting that saw thousand of union members from Numsa and other unions expelled and the federations’ general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi shown the door.
Yesterday there was chaos as affiliates spent the morning fighting over the credentials of leaders in the congress.
The Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) was eventually defeated in its bid to have Cosatu’s second deputy president Zingiswa Losi and the newly forced Limusa excluded from the congress, but proceedings were badly delayed.
Fawu questioned Losi and Limusa’s credentials and argued that neither was supposed to be part of the congress.
Losi was rescued by police union Popcru, which elected her as a shop steward.
Limusa, formed after the expulsion of Numsa, was accepted by Cosatu’s central executive committee but Fawu dissented.
In his address, Dlamini called on affiliated unions to defend the federation against attempts to destroy it.
He accused foreign countries, particularly the US, of paying some unions and leaders to destroy Cosatu.
“People are pumping money to destroy Cosatu. After showing America proof they were funding ... they admitted it,” he said.
“This congress has to reassert Cosatu’s character of discipline, militancy and campaigning.”
He said the government should desist from touching workers’ provident and retirement funds.
In his address to the congress, which was delayed for several hours, President Jacob Zuma told delegates that the unity of Cosatu was important in fighting for workers’ rights.
He emphasised the importance of the ruling alliance to the struggle. The congress should ask if conditions that brought the alliance together still existed.
The congress continues today.
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