Johannesburg - The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has again survived suspension it has emerged.
An upbeat Irvin Jim, the union’s general secretary, left Cosatu House after the federation’s three-day central executive committee (CEC) meeting ended, saying Numsa “was still in” the federation.
The metalworkers union was meant to respond to the federation’s executive committee this week on why it should not be suspended or expelled from Cosatu.
Scathing comments made by the union about Cosatu’s alliance partners, the ANC and the SACP, as well as its calls for a special national congress had strained the relationship between the union and its colleagues in the federation.
Numsa has also been reinstated Cosatu general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi’s loudest cheerleaders.
Union leaders confirmed that ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa and deputy general-secretary, Jessie Duarte, had addressed the CEC this Monday, addressing a wide range of issues facing the federation.
Last month the ANC launched a last minute, last-ditch effort to prevent a split in the organisation on the eve of the May 7 general elections.
But Numsa declared the peace efforts over as soon as elections were over when it slammed the ANC’s performance at the polls and announced its intention to launch a workers’ party in time for the 2016 local government elections.
This was expected to place additional pressure on already strained relationships.
Cosatu, which is South Africa’s largest trade union federation, is currently wracked by in-fighting, factionalism and allegations of corruption among both its own leaders as well as those of its affiliates.
In just the last week, the SA Democratic Teachers Union dismissed its president, Thobile Ntola, on a raft of severe corruption allegations, while the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers (Ceppwawu) Union suspended four of its officials on similar charges last Friday.
The presence of the four suspended Ceppwawu officials at Cosatu House on Monday nearly derailed the CEC, with reports that the entire day was spent debating credentials.
Meanwhile Independent Newspapers on Wednesday morning revealed the contents of the first phase of the much-awaited SizweNtsalubaGobodo report into the controversial sale of the old Cosatu premises.
The report was due to be considered at the CEC as well.
Political Bureau