Little-known nonprofit is picking up the tab

The National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (Numsa) and a nonprofit organisation, Transform RSA, jointly interdicted the minister of energy from signing off on renewable projects last week.

The costs application brought by the two will be paid for by Transform RSA, but the agenda and the funding of the organisation has been called into question.

Transform RSA registered in

2016 and, according to its social media accounts, is a concerned civil society organisation that tackles critical issues affecting South Africa’s economy.

In January this year, Transform RSA sent a legal letter to the ANC’s national executive committee that served as “an urgent warning” against any plans to remove former president Jacob Zuma from office.

Early last year, Transform RSA also tried to join a court action to prevent the removal of Shaun Abrahams as head of the National Prosecuting Authority.

Numsa denied there was anything untoward in its association with Transform RSA.

“We are not in alliance with Transform RSA. We merely share a common interest on this matter in court and, as you know, when parties with the same interests approach the court for relief, they have to work together,” the union said.

Numsa treasurer Mphumzi Maqungo said the union had always been consistent in its view that Zuma’s administration was in a mess.

But Maqungo also said that just because he had been replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa did not mean the union would keep quiet about issues it believed to be incorrect.

“Today, it’s not honestly about Cyril; it’s about anyone who will do anything that is to the detriment of our members,” he said.

Adil Nchabeleng, the president of Transform RSA and a regular commentator on the former Gupta television channel ANN7, did not respond to requests for comment but in other media interviews he denied he organisation was a Gupta front and said he had never even met the family.