Business Day
*Vavi adamant he will not be removed from post*** *Natasha Marrian, Business Day, Johannesburg, 23 April 2013*CONGRESS of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi declared on Monday that he is going nowhere and would "stick around" despite an attempt to remove him through a "political campaign", aimed at causing division among members and leaders in Cosatu-affiliated unions.
Cosatu's internal battles are also causing divisions within the federation's affiliates themselves, and rifts are emerging between leaders and their members and among affiliate leaders. One affiliate is taking its general secretary to court over his support for the campaign to remove Mr Vavi.
Another union leadership divided over Mr Vavi is the South African Democratic Teachers' Union, with its president Thobile Ntola supporting him and the general secretary, John Maluleke, belonging to the faction opposing Mr Vavi.
Mr Vavi received a warm welcome on Monday among Gauteng shop stewards --- even from those affiliates whose leaders are moving against him, including the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu).
A national executive committee (NEC) member from the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers Union (Ceppwawu) --- whose top brass were also among those opposing Mr Vavi --- said on Monday that members were hauling the union's general secretary Simon Mofokeng to court for his alleged failure to convene a meeting of the national executive committee for almost a year.
The NEC leaders are upset at the stance adopted by the Ceppwawu general secretary toward Mr Vavi. NEC member Charles Mhlongo, speaking afterwards, said the union had not held a leadership meeting for a year, yet its general secretary was opposing Mr Vavi in the Cosatu battle, without a mandate to do so.
"This thing has to be discussed in a constitutional structure of the union. A decision has to be taken (on whether to oppose Mr Vavi) in a meeting of the NEC.
"No such meeting has taken place," Mr Mhlongo said. The matter is to be heard in the South Gauteng High Court today.The unions opposing Mr Vavi include the NUM, Nehawu, police union Popcru, the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union and Ceppwawu. Those supporting him include the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), the Food and Allied Workers Union, the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) and the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa.
Samwu's position is an unofficial one, but would likely be confirmed at a meeting of its top brass next month. Many smaller affiliates remain "on the fence", said a source in the federation, and they would likely make a decision when the outcome of the internal facilitation process is released.
The battle was manifesting through spats between individual affiliates too, particularly the federation's largest --- Numsa and the NUM.
The NUM has accused Numsa of "poaching" members --- despite a long-standing principle of one-industry, one-union holding sway among Cosatu affiliates.
Mr Vavi told shop stewards that unity would elude Cosatu as long as there were so many affiliates competing with each other in the same federation. There were long-standing resolutions for a merger between the NUM, Numsa and Ceppwawu. He said this should take place in order to foster unity.
Mr Vavi is on the defensive after what he described as a smear campaign against him, aimed at discrediting him in the eyes of ordinary workers --- his main support base.
"The real issue is Vavi ... they are running a campaign against an individual ... and they have no mandate to do what they are doing from their members," he said.
He urged members to continue reporting corruption --- after allegations that he used graft-busting organisation Corruption Watch, which he founded, to target his enemies. Mr Vavi said no one caught with their hands in the till should be protected merely because they belonged to a particular faction.
At the same time, Cosatu could never concern itself solely with worker issues --- it was politically and ideologically conscious.
It had to be so, or would face "eventual isolation", he said.*From: http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/labour/2013/04/23/vavi-adamant-he-will-not-be-removed-from-post*
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