Sadtu accuses former leaders of slander
THE SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) is embroiled in a bitter dispute with former leaders it accuses of spreading false and malicious rumours about members.
Sadtu issued a letter of demand to rival union SA Liberated Public Sector Workers Union (Salipswu) yesterday.
It named its former national leader Thobile Ntola and its former KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary Mbuyiseni Mathonsi in the letter, saying they were leading the “vitriol campaign”.
Ntola allegedly left Sadtu under acrimonious circumstances. He and Mathonsi are now with Salipswu.
In the letter sent to Salipswu, Sadtu demanded that it provide proof of the allegations it made against Sadtu leaders. “These included they were manipulating jobs, that some had taken corrupt payments and been implicated in sexual harassment allegations, and that one of their provincial leaders had fraudulent qualifications.
“We have been instructed to demand that you provide us with a written undertaking to immediately cease and desist from making any further defamatory statement against our clients and any other leader of Sadtu,” said the lawyer’s letter that has been posted on the union’s website.
A Sadtu statement said the union had noted there was a message circulating on social media that Sadtu should be targeted. “Salipswu appears to have adopted an approach of slander and vilification,” it said.
Sadtu said should it not receive a favourable response, it would proceed with legal action for appropriate relief.
Ntola said it had received the letter and viewed it as an attempt to intimidate Salipswu from recruiting new members at sites predominantly under Sadtu.