The General Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, Zwelinzima Vavi, has received a letter containing a death threat. It says that "You will die like Molefi".

This is presumed to be a reference to Molefi Sefularo, the late Deputy Minister of Health, who died in a car accident outside Pretoria on 5 April 2010, and could imply that the writer knows that it was not an accident.

The letter has been referred to the head of the SAPS, Bheki Cele, for investigation. But we also know that the best protection against such threats is the support of the masses.

COSATU has no reason to associate this letter with the ANC National Working Committee's decision to take disciplinary action against the General Secretary, but is not taking the threat lightly, especially in view of the murders in Mpumalanga and elsewhere which appear to be targeting people blowing the whistle on corruption.

The federation will not however be driven to panic or paranoia by this letter. No amount of death threats or blackmail will cause us to scale down or abandon our campaign to end corruption.

Statement issued by Patrick Craven, COSATU national spokesperson, June 4 2010

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