The Western Cape congress of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) continues in Caledon on Monday after shop stewards of the Ikapa region lost an urgent Cape High Court bid to stop it from going ahead.
The shop stewards claim the congress could not go ahead after the provincial executive committee suspended three Ikapa regional office bearers.
They allege the suspensions were part of an attempt by the current provincial secretary Suraya Jawoodien to stop them from preventing her re-election.
The court application could not be heard on Friday because the union did not have enough time to file opposing papers.
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But Judge Dennis Davis ordered that, even though he could not stop the congress, they could return to the high court to have congress resolutions set aside.
In May, an Ikapa special regional executive committee meeting was held and it was decided that the region should go to the provincial congress to move for a change in the provincial leadership.
The congress was supposed to have been held in June but was postponed due to infighting between Ikapa region members and Jawoodeen.
Jawoodeen questioned the constitutionality of the region and its branches and another Ikapa special regional executive committee meeting was held in September to deal with her allegations.
The move led the provincial executive committee to suspend three Ikapa officebearers - regional deputy chairwoman Mercia Robinson, regional treasurer Lengelwa Rengqe and regional secretary Thembela Gazi - for convening the "unauthorised" September meeting. Gazi is up against Jawoodeen for the position of provincial secretary.
But the Ikapa shop stewards claim Jawoodeen had been embarking on a political campaign and said this was the reason for convening the September meeting.
The Ikapa officebearers have applied to have their suspensions set aside.
The congress was scheduled for on Sunday and on Monday.
- This article was originally published on page 4 of Cape Argus on November 24, 2008
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