Johannesburg - Disciplinary proceedings against suspended Congress of SA Trade Unions general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi are still ongoing, the federation said on Thursday.
“Disciplinary processes against the suspended general secretary and a Cosatu staff member and the pressing of charges are proceeding,” acting general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali told reporters in Johannesburg.
He added that the forensic report on Vavi was final.
“The central executive committee adopted that legal report and it's a final report.”
The report relates to irregularities in the sale of the old Cosatu House. Besides the selling and buying of Cosatu's old and new buildings, the auditors also probed a possible conflict of interest concerning Vavi and his stepdaughter.
She was employed by a service provider which was doing business with the trade union federation. The service provider, VMS, provided technology for the fingerprinting system, among other services, at Cosatu's new premises in Braamfontein.
The auditors also found a conflict of interest with regard to the business partnership between VMS and Vavi's wife.
In terms of two companies, Kopano ke Matla (KKM) and Cubah properties, which Cosatu owned, there were apparent irregularities with regard to the KKM chief executive officer and the board of directors of Cubah properties.
Vavi opposed the report, saying he was not afforded the opportunity to comment on it.
Ntshalintshali said the auditors promised that there would not be any amendments to the report.
He was responding to questions about a letter from Vavi's lawyer to the auditing firm on the report being a draft copy.
“From where we are, the report is final. It is news to us to say (it) is subject to amendments,” he said.
Cosatu president Sidumo Dlamini took the opportunity to try and quell any suggestions that the federation was grasping at straws for something to stick on Vavi.
“Disciplinary processes are in place. It is not processes that are evoked when the (one) thing fails,” he said.
Dlamini said the report was presented to the trade union federation so it could study it with its lawyers.
It was wrong for people to think Cosatu was collapsing just because a leader was suspended. He said history showed that drastic measures had been taken against leaders but the federation had survived.
Sapa