NUMSA STATEMENT ON THE POLITICAL OFFENSIVE AGAINST COSATU GENERAL SECRETARY CDE ZWELINZIMA VAVI

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) notes with dismay the article which appeared in yesterday's The Star Newspaper ‘ANC to charge Cosatu's Vavi', which is part of a renewed political offensive targeted at the Cosatu General Secretary Cde Zwelinzima Vavi.

We have no doubt that the article is part of a broader agenda by chauvinists and demagogues who want to weaken and divide the ANC-led Alliance for their own narrow, sectarian and self-centered personal accumulation interests. This article feeds into an old agenda of isolating working class leaders from within and outside the movement for speaking truth to power. As Numsa we are confident that the ANC NWC would not be co-opted or coerced into an agenda which seeks to destroy the Alliance, and particularly the public standing of Cde Vavi, who enjoys mass support amongst the rank and file membership of the African National Congress (ANC).

The ANC NWC should remember that Cde Vavi's public utterances or articulations are shared by the entire Cosatu CEC, and are not of his own or extended family. Also Cosatu is not a workers desk of the ANC, but an independent organization in alliance with the ANC guided by a shared political programme as encapsulated in the Freedom Charter. As workers we refuse to be muzzled or silenced on issues engulfing our glorious movement - the ANC. Workers will always have a keener interest on the ANC, since the ANC is the leader of the Alliance.

Numsa calls on the ANC to publicly condemn this new and dominant foreign culture by some of our leaders of planting misguided stories in the media. If this not managed properly it will destroy the unity and cohesion of our movement.

As Numsa we will urge the federation to call an urgent meeting with the ANC leadership, where all COSATU affiliates will be present to deal with this improper decision of the ANC NWC to charge Cde Vavi.

Statement issued by Castro Ngobese, NUMSA national spokesperson, June 2 2010

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