Vavi supporters may be stymied
OSATU’s top brass appear reluctant to give in to demands to convene a special national congress to determine the future of suspended general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi.
This is after the pro-Vavi faction met Cosatu’s constitutional requirement for the federation to convene the congress, when eight of its affiliates submitted letters calling for the special congress in November.
“It was reported to the CEC that nine affiliated unions have submitted letters… requesting a special national congress…” Cosatu president S’dumo Dlamini said during a media briefing in Joburg yesterday.
Should the congress go ahead, delegates from Cosatu’s affiliates will vote for the federation’s leadership, a platform that the pro-Vavi faction could use as a launching pad to overturn his suspension through the ballot.
The Cosatu constitution stipulates that a special congress can be convened if the central executive committee
C(CEC) passes a resolution calling for a meeting once not less than one-third of the affiliates in good standing have submitted a written request. But Dlamini and the rest of Cosatu’s executive committee gave the strongest indication that theywould not bow to calls for a special congress.
They invoked some of the federation’s clauses in the constitution, that confer the powers to convene the congress on the president, to justify their views.
Practicalities
“The president must call a special national congress if… not less than one-third of the affiliates in good standing submit a written request to the (acting) general secretary (Bheki Ntshalintshali) for the attention of the president, calling for the meeting.
“The president must then deal with the practicalities, such as cost and timing of the congress, and the state of the affiliates.
“A report on progress will then be given to the November CEC.”
Dlamini said he had, in terms of the constitution, 14 days to apply his mind to the matter. He then cast doubt on the reasons given by the affiliates calling for a congress.
It emerged yesterday that some of the affiliates had called for a review of the resolutions taken at Cosatu’s congress last year.
“The CEC has no duty to convene a special congress. The constitution entails that (a special congress must be held)… These letters are saying different things. They may be saying why, but they talk about different reasons. The review of the 2012 resolutions will be impossible,” Dlamini said.
Ntshalintshali and second deputy president Zingiswa Losi were more forthright.
“It has to be clear what you are calling a special congress for, if it’s in the interests of Cosatu or if it’s convened for differences,” said Ntshalintshali, suggesting that convening the congress for the sole purpose of reinstating Vavi would not be encouraged.
Losi added: “You can’t wake up and say we need to do that. It has to be the entire federation.”