Former Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa has weighed in on the recent SA Federation of Trade Unions’ (Saftu) national congress, saying the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) should be particularly worried.
Zwelinzima Vavi was re-elected general secretary, defeating KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary Moses Mautsoe with 389 votes to 300. Mautsoe was nominated by Saftu’s biggest affiliate Numsa to go head-to-head against Vavi for the powerful position.
Vavi-aligned Numsa member Ruth Ntlokotse’s election as president, beating Numsa colleague Mac Chavalala, has Shilowa ringing alarm bells.
Speaking on 702, Shilowa said Numsa should be worried about two candidates competing for president as it is an indication of factions in the organisation.
“If I was in Numsa, I would be very worried that they put two candidates for positions of president. It must mean that there must have been two factions, whether declared or not, one the eventual winner,” said Shilowa.
Here’s why Shilowa believes Numsa should be worried about Saftu congress outcomes
Image: Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images
Former Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa has weighed in on the recent SA Federation of Trade Unions’ (Saftu) national congress, saying the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) should be particularly worried.
Zwelinzima Vavi was re-elected general secretary, defeating KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary Moses Mautsoe with 389 votes to 300. Mautsoe was nominated by Saftu’s biggest affiliate Numsa to go head-to-head against Vavi for the powerful position.
Vavi-aligned Numsa member Ruth Ntlokotse’s election as president, beating Numsa colleague Mac Chavalala, has Shilowa ringing alarm bells.
Speaking on 702, Shilowa said Numsa should be worried about two candidates competing for president as it is an indication of factions in the organisation.
“If I was in Numsa, I would be very worried that they put two candidates for positions of president. It must mean that there must have been two factions, whether declared or not, one the eventual winner,” said Shilowa.
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He said Saftu had a “bruising fight going into the congress and inside the congress, including whether people should stand or not and then finally electing all six leadership through a vote.”
“That itself cannot be said to be the best thing,” he added.
EFF deputy leader Floyd Shivambu welcomed the re-election of Vavi.
“Best wishes to Saftu. The leadership of the federation and all its affiliates must rise above unnecessary differences and build a genuinely Marxist-orientated trade union that’s not tied to a neoliberal government. Best wishes, Zwelinzima Vavi,” said Shivambu.
TimesLIVE asked readers if they were happy with Vavi’s victory.
Most, or 43%, said they were not happy, adding it was time for another general secretary, while 30% said they were not surprised by the re-election, saying “he had to be or Saftu would have fallen apart”.
Twenty-seven percent said Vavi is the right person for the job.
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