Durban - Some Cosatu affiliates are expected to question the “urgency” and “timing” of Wednesday’s crunch meeting of the central executive committee at which the fate of embattled general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi could be determined.
Cosatu’s biggest affiliate, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) and the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) are expected to ask that the special central executive committee meeting be called off.
But Vavi’s opponents are expected to call for his suspension over his admitted extramarital affair with a member of the union federation’s junior staff.
Unions expected to call for tough action against Vavi include the National Union of Mineworkers, the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union, the National Health and Allied Workers’ Union and police union Popcru.
Numsa, which has been vocal in its support for Vavi, will hold a press briefing on Monday - after its own meeting on Sunday - to present its position on the special central executive committee meeting.
Numsa spokesman Castro Ngobese said the key outcomes of its meeting would be explained by its president, Cedric Gina, general secretary, Irvin Jim, and treasurer, Mphumzi Maqungo.
Fawu general secretary Katishi Masemola said on Sunday that his union would argue that there were no grounds to hold a special central executive committee meeting because the matter could not be considered “urgent”.
“If the matter is packaged as a report back from the grievance, then we don’t think it warrants a special central executive committee unless there is more than we are told. We will argue that we must wait for an ordinary central executive committee,” said Masemola.
The national office bearers of not fewer than a third of the affiliates can request a special meeting of the central executive committee, according to Cosatu’s constitution.
Popcru general secretary Nkosinathi Theledi refused to comment on his union’s position. He said there was no way to pre-empt what would happen at the meeting.
Popcru provided evidence of Vavi’s alleged involvement in the “improper” sale and purchase of Cosatu buildings in the ongoing probe into Vavi.
Public sector union Samwu is to hold its own special national executive meeting on Tuesday to discuss how it will challenge the meeting on technical grounds.
“If you remember there was a normal Cosatu meeting and these other unions requested that it be postponed because they wouldn’t be available,” said Samwu general secretary Walter Theledi.
“Now all of a sudden they want this meeting. These are some of the things we will be querying on Wednesday.”
Theledi said previously that Vavi had been targeted because he “dared to speak truth to power” on unemployment and corruption.
Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven declined to comment on queries about the urgency of the meeting. “Cosatu itself is not commenting. It’s an internal matter,” said Craven.
The Mercury