Johannesburg - The Democratic Nurses Union (Denosa) could decide not to support activities led by former general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and the metalworkers union, Numsa, in trying to reconnect with workers across the country.
The union’s national executive committee (NEC) is to discuss the modalities to be employed in implementing the resolution adopted by its national congress.
Denosa members decided at their last congress that they would demand that Cosatu convene a special national congress by this month. They also called for Numsa’s reinstatement, while in the same breath distanced themselves from the formation of the United Front, an organisation founded by Numsa.
This week, things came to a head when Denosa leaders issued a media statement that could be described as “polite”, begging their allies not to use their name in vain. They were pleading with the organisers of an event, at which Vavi was expected to speak, not to include them among those said to support the gathering.
Denosa has been one of the least predictable unions since the federation, Cosatu, was engulfed in battles between leaders and affiliates. It could be seen as having one foot on each of the battle line. The organisation has continued to attend meetings of the Cosatu central executive committee, despite a decision that it should not attend, taken by the cabal that abandoned the federation’s second-biggest decision-making structure since the expulsion of Numsa.
Denosa president Simon Hlungwani said the decisions made by the union’s congress wouldn’t be altered during the NEC meeting. “Even the central executive committee can’t reverse congress decisions, but in terms of structures, the highest decision-making structure is the NEC and in the absence of the NEC, it is the CEC,” he said.
Numsa said it was not rattled by Denosa’s decision. “We don’t want to engage Denosa through the media. What we do know is that Denosa has a mandate to reclaim Cosatu from the Luthuli House loyalists led by S’dumo Dlamini, Blade Nzimande and Gwede Mantashe,” said Numsa spokesman Castro Ngobese.
Numsa was bruised when Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) made sudden changes at its central executive committee meeting last month, pulling out of its alliance with Numsa and the other unions, including farmworkers’ union, Fawu.
Samwu was the biggest disgruntled Cosatu affiliate among the unions that pulled out. They were followed by Denosa, in size, meaning should the union elect to pull out of key programmes being hosted as part of the mass crusade of workers by Vavi and Numsa, the latter would suffer.
Another blow dealt to Numsa this week was the cancellation of a workers’ imbizo at which Vavi and Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim were scheduled to speak.
The event, organised by Samwu splinter group SOS, was cancelled following a ruling by the South Gauteng High Court that they should stop using Samwu’s branding and logo, and should not misrepresent the union’s leadership.
However, not all is doom and gloom for Numsa. The union enjoys support from a group of members in a single National Health, Educators and Allied Workers Union region in the Eastern Cape. Unhappy members of the region say they do not support the Cosatu CEC decision to dismiss Vavi.
Labour Bureau