Johannesburg - The crisis that has gripped the chemical and paper union Ceppwawu is deepening, with calls from at least one provincial leader for the suspension of general secretary Simon Mofokeng.
In a grievance application, Free State secretary Klaas Hlehlethe accuses Mofokeng of fraud and illegally interfering in the region's affairs.
The Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers Union, a Cosatu affiliate, has been rent down the middle for years, in a fight fuelled by Mofokeng and his allies’ attempts to grab control of the union’s R6 billion investment fund.
The infighting and dodgy financial administration led suspended Labour Department registrar Johann Crouse to place the union under administration. However, Crouse was suspended, largely because of his actions against the union. According to sources, his deputy has let the union off the hook in his absence, even though it has failed to meet its legal obligations.
Many members who are opposed to Mofokeng believe that this is because he has a close relationship with Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant and Cosatu’s leadership.
Mofokeng and his allies are also in trouble for forging resolutions after a national executive committee (NEC) meeting that would have seen the union submitting unaudited financial statements to the Labour Department in January.
While many in the NEC have not approved the statements, they were sent to the department and approved.
In the grievance application, which Hlehlethe’s lawyers sent to union president Thamsanqa Mhlongo earlier this month, he also accuses Mofokeng of gross misconduct over the fictitious resolutions that would have also approved the suspension of NEC members from the opposing faction.
“Neither the January 5, 2016 NEC nor the January 14 NEC passed any resolution to either suspend NEC delegates and/or to approve finances,” Hlehlethe said. “This conduct by the general secretary perpetuates serious fraud in that he misled the entire union to believe that those resolutions were legitimate. It is shocking to note that those resolutions have not only been implemented but executed. The constitution of the union has not only been violated, but seriously compromised and undermined.”
Mofokeng has also been accused of instructing the Free State region to no longer convene any meetings.
“This is an unlawful interference because members are not only in the dark with regard to the affairs of the union, but their mandates can no longer be carried out and implemented. This is contrary to the constitution of the union,” said Hlehlethe.
He has demanded that Mofokeng be suspended and that Mhlongo reinstate all union members, staff and officials who have been suspended, dismissed and expelled under the current circumstances.
Mhlongo could not be reached for comment.
However, it is understood that if he does not agree to Hlehlethe’s demands, the matter could be escalated to the courts.
THE STAR