SIYABONGA SITHOLE
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has accused its former second deputy president, Ruth Ntlokotse, of lying about her popularity within the ranks of the trade union.
These accusations come ahead of the pending labour court case between the two parties, which will be heard in Johannesburg on Thursday.
In her court papers, Ntlokotse argues that leaders of the union, secretary-general Irvin Jim and its president, Andrew Chirwa, should be imprisoned and that the recent elections were invalid.
Speaking to this newspaper, Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola says Ntlokotse does not have the interests of the union at heart as she recently sought to interdict its recent 11th national congress through the ongoing legal processes. Last month, the congress was almost halted when Ntlokotse took Numsa to the labour court, requesting an interdict against the congress.
"Ruth is a liar. She lied and claimed the union was blocking her from participating in the elections, but she received no nomination. Ruth also claimed in court that Mpumalanga was the biggest region in order to justify interdicting the 11 national congress," Hlubi-Majola said.
Hlubi-Majola added that Ntlokotse had demanded the Mpumalanga region to improperly attend the recent congress while the region did not support her.
"Another biggest lie is that she claims to care about metal workers and their families, but wants the court to arrest the new leadership and nullify the 11th congress. This will collapse the union. She does not care about the constitution," Numsa said.
When approached for comment, Ntlokotse referred this newspaper to her lawyers, saying the matter is currently a legal matter between herself and the union, which will be heard in court this week.