Business Report
*Vavi in veiled attack***** *Business Report, Johannesburg, 18 September 2012*Congress of SA Trade Unions general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi on Tuesday hit out at federation leaders who deviated from decisions taken by the collective, in what appeared to be a veiled attack on Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini.
Barely 24-hours after the top six leaders were re-elected at the federation's 11th national congress, the old, simmering tensions between them, resurfaced.
Vavi and Dlamini hold varying views on the federation's posture toward the ANC and the state and on whether President Jacob Zuma should serve a second term at the helm of the ruling party.
Dlamini is an ardent supporter of Zuma, while Vavi has repeatedly stuck to Cosatu's official line, which is that the federation would assess the leadership of the ANC and decide how to proceed on the succession question thereafter.
Dlamini in an interview with the Sunday Times openly pronounced his support for Zuma to serve a second term at the helm of the party.
Vavi, presenting his secretariat report to the congress, said there was 100% consensus among Cosatu leaders on the federation's "posture" toward its allies and the state. One of the elements Cosatu had agreed on was to defend the leadership of the ANC elected in Polokwane, including Zuma, against a "new tendency of tenderpreneurs".
Another element was that Cosatu felt it was "premature" to get caught up in the ANC's succession debate, as this "distracted" from the "primary political tasks" of transforming society".
The federation also agreed to "assess leadership of the alliance formations at the right time", said Vavi. He said the ANC is clear on what the "right time" is -- its national executive committee has said that the nomination process would open only in October.
Vavi took issue with leaders deviating from this decision."This is what the CEC said... not anything else, influenced by anyone else," he said.
"If you want to protect the future of the organisation, protect the integrity of its decisions. Don't turn around and say other things because it is nice to do so."
"We can't allow an external organisational mandate, whether open or hidden to undermine (Cosatu's) organisational procedure," he said.
The influence of the SACP leadership, its general secretary Blade Nzimande -- a key Zuma ally -- in particular, on senior Cosatu leaders has been a source or irritation for many leaders within the federation. Dlamini is among the leaders of Cosatu who sits on the SACP's top leadership structure, the central committee.
Vavi warned that Cosatu had a code of conduct, which its leaders were bound by.
He also hit out at leaders who spoke to the media as "anonymous sources"."Where is your integrity? Who is your instructor? This is the source of the problem, our people speaking recklessly on public platforms on un-mandated matters. The president and the general secretary has primary responsibility to address all of these matters."
All Cosatu's leaders were re-elected unopposed on Monday -- but ahead of the congress, the section wanting to oust Dlamini criticised the way he deviated from Cosatu decisions on public platforms.
Cosatu kicked off the second day of its congress with Vavi's secretariat report. The lengthy report would be debated, modified and adopted by the meeting later on Tuesday. - I-Net Bridge
*From: http://www.iol.co.za/business/business-news/vavi-in-veiled-attack-1.1385892#.UFlWybIgf3M*
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