Business Day
*Numsa backs Vavi’s position on secrecy bill* * **Sibongakonke Shoba and Alistair Anderson, Business Day, Johannesburg, 15 December 2011*
THE National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) yesterday moved to defend Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi on the Protection of State Information Bill, saying there was a need to maintain a balance between withholding sensitive state information and making it public through the media.
Mr Vavi has strongly opposed the bill in its current form — insisting a public interest clause be inserted before it is signed into law by President Jacob Zuma. This has angered some within the African National Congress-led tripartite alliance. The South African Communist Party (SACP) has criticised Mr Vavi’s position on the matter.
However, Cosatu unions are backing their leader’s position. Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said yesterday that the union supported Mr Vavi’s position. "The central committee of Numsa is fully in agreement with the latest position as articulated by the general secretary of Cosatu in relation to the information bill," he said.
"There is a need to introduce a public interest defence that would maintain a balance between the restrictions legitimately placed on state information against disclosures and media publication of such information in the public interest," Mr Jim said.
He said Mr Vavi was being singled out when opposition to the bill was a Cosatu decision.
This was also confirmed by National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) spokesman Lesiba Seshoka.
"We have a collective view at Cosatu that the bill needs a public interest defence. We do not want the bill to threaten our democracy," Mr Seshoka said.
South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) spokesman Tahir Sema also agreed, saying Cosatu was "strongly opposed to the bill in its current form".
But the bill appears to be deepening divisions in the already fractious political tripartite alliance.
All alliance partners — the SACP, Cosatu and the ANC — are scheduled to elect new leaders next year.
This is causing divisions in all three formations.This week, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union said it preferred the current leadership of both SACP and Cosatu to be retained.
The NUM is reported to have taken a similar stance.Mr Sema said Samwu members had not discussed Cosatu leadership issues as this would be premature.
"We fully support the current leadership," he said."As a union we have not seen a need to discuss leadership. Any talks are premature.
"We have not discussed who we would have lead, or if we would bring any Samwu member to national leadership position."
Should Mr Vavi not stand for reelection as general secretary, Mr Jim is understood to be one of the leaders eyeing his position.
Numsa has always come to Mr Vavi’s defence and is expected to back him on whichever position he decides to stand for.
However, NUM general secretary Frans Baleni is also rumoured to be keen on replacing Mr Vavi.
His union is associated with the pro-Zuma camp.Mr Seshoka said yesterday that the NUM was pleased with the current Cosatu leadership.
"As far as the NUM is concerned, there is no succession debate at Cosatu. You support the leadership collective as it stands. Any assessment of this leadership will be done at congress next year. We have never consulted with our members about leadership at Cosatu."
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