Johannesburg - Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has written a letter to Cosatu and its affiliates explaining his absence from a press conference on Tuesday on the expulsion of metalworkers union, Numsa.
In the two-page letter Vavi says he is not able to back the expulsion of Numsa by Cosatu’s central executive committee (CEC) over the weekend.
“From that point of view I plead with you to understand that I will not be able to defend a decision that I honestly believe is contradicting and undermining organised workers and broader working class unity, a decision that will have momentous implications for years to come.”
The letter, in possession of Independent Media, instead pleads for unity in the 2.2-million strong federation.
Vavi says that given the opportunity, he believed Cosatu could address the challenges it faced.
This is in line with what the ANC has been saying. On Monday the party’s secretary general Gwede Mantashe told reporters he did not believe the problems in Cosatu were insurmountable.
However, Cosatu’s other leaders were firm on Tuesday that it had been a difficult, but correct decision to expel Numsa.
The letter is addressed to Cosatu president S’dumo Dlamini, the federation’s general secretaries and its provincial secretaries.
Read the full details of the letter in Wednesday's Independent titles.
Independent Media