Vavi’s future up for discussion
TWO UNIONS attending a Cosatu meeting in Joburg blocked the federation from admitting new metalworkers’ union, the Liberated Metalworkers Union of SA (Limusa), as an affiliate yesterday.
The unions are understood to have insisted they first get a mandate from their members.
Instead, a decision on Limusa has been deferred to a special central executive committee (CEC) meeting, likely to take place in a month. The gathering will also deliberate on the future of Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.
The Star understands that the CEC was reluctant to make any moves against Vavi, who is facing fresh allegations of financial maladministration which he has denied, until it has closed all loopholes. The general secretary was suspended in August 2013 after having sex with a junior employee in Cosatu’s offices. He was reinstated by order of the high court in Joburg, which ruled the suspension was unconstitutional.
Last year saw Cosatu limp from one special CEC to the next as it battled to contain the divisions that split the federation and led to the expulsion of its biggest affiliate, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa).
The prolonging of Limusa’s admission into the Cosatu fold will come as a relief to those fighting for Numsa’s reinstatement. The new metalworkers’ union has largely been viewed as a replacement of Numsa in the federation.
Last week, a Limusa leader, Cedric Gina, who used to be the president of Numsa, told The Star that Cosatu national office-bearers had deployed the federation’s head of organising to iron out details pertaining to the new union’s status, including how many registered members it has.
Numsa’s allies boycotted this week’s meeting along with Vavi. Cosatu president S’dumo Dlamini said the meeting proceeded despite their absence.