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The National Union of Metalworkers of SA's (Numsa) bid to oust SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi from the helm of the federation is far from over as the union now plans to use a new rule book to ensure his removal.
This comes as the relationship between Vavi and the leadership of Numsa, which is Saftu’s biggest affiliate, continues to deteriorate amid battles over the direction of the federation.
While both Numsa and Vavi had been instrumental in the founding of Saftu in 2017 after both were expelled by Cosatu in 2014 and 2015, respectively, he had increasingly fallen out of favour with the union.
READ: Vavi spars with Numsa ahead of congress
Numsa has now given Vavi until Thursday to give reasons he should not be recalled from Saftu over the allegations of bringing the union into disrepute and spreading lies against its leadership.
In his letter dated February 28, Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim pointed out that Vavi had been elected to the position of Saftu general secretary (at its inaugural congress in 2017) as an official of Numsa and that the union had the power to recall him if he brought it into disrepute or violated its constitution.
Jim cited several public statements by Vavi in which he attacked Numsa and accused its leadership of being captured by business unionism through union investment companies and of pushing for him to be removed due to his refusal to endorse Numsa's political startup, the Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party (SRWP).
Vavi and several Saftu affiliates have been vocal against the push for the support of the SRWP and said it was against the founding principle of being independent and non-partisan.
The deepening divisions with Saftu had seen Vavi being slapped with a notice of suspension last year over allegations that he was abusing union funds, which he denied, with four of the office bearers who had tried to suspend him, including former president Mac Chavalala, being suspended after 13 Saftu affiliate came to Vavi’s defence.
Numsa was among the unions that did not back Vavi’s re-election as Saftu general secretary at the party’s high-stakes second national elective congress in May last year.
The union questioned why Vavi had made public statements that there was a “major fallout” between him and Jim and that there was an obsession to remove him over the SRWP matter.
Vavi’s leading charge against the embrace of the SRWP and his open rebukes of the Numsa leadership was seen as a betrayal of the union as it had embraced him and made him its staffer after being kicked out as Cosatu general secretary.
READ: Numsa forges ahead with congress in defiance of court order
The union was unhappy that, among other allegations, Vavi had allegedly attacked the union by declaring to be no longer a campaigning union and likening Numsa leaders to a “dog that has a bone in the mouth which cannot bark” in relation to alleged involvement in business unionism.
Jim said Vavi’s statements had caused the union “serious harm and embarrassment” and that they had been aimed at sowing divisions within Numsa. He added:
In response, Vavi denied the allegation that he had brought the union into disrepute and indicated that he would fight against a move to remove him.
He, instead, called on Numsa's leadership to focus on rallying behind the campaigns and programmes of Saftu and for the union to pay affiliation fees to the federation.
“As is to be expected, should the Numsa general secretary national office bearers pursue its unconstitutional and unlawful intention to recall, both Saftu and Zwelinzima Vavi’s rights are also reserved,” Vavi said.
Numsa's national spokesperson, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, said the union would not comment on its claim that it had the power to remove Vavi on the basis that he had gotten into Saftu through the union.
