STATEMENT ON THE COURT ORDER AGAINST COSATU
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), and its allies – Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU); South African Football Players Union (SAFPU); South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU); Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA); Communication Workers Union (CWU); South African Commercial Catering and Allied Workers Union (SACCAWU) and South African State and Allied Workers Union (SASAWU), earlier this morning Monday 11 May 2015, scored a historic victory in defense of a worker-controlled and democratic COSATU, at the South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, Gauteng province.
The High Court has ordered COSATU President Sidumo Dlamini, as a custodian of the Federation’s constitution to convene the Special National Congress (SNC), as duly petitioned by COSATU’s affiliates, in line with the constitutional provisions of the Federation’s constitution. The Court’s order has affirmed the superiority of the Federation’s constitution. Furthermore, the court order has buried the continuous flouting and undemocratic disregard of the constitution by Dlamini and his grouping.
NUMSA and its allies, have been calling for the Special National Congress (SNC) over the past 18 months, in order to allow the owners of the Federation – workers – to deal decisively and unapologetically with the paralysis that have emerged within the Federation, immediately after COSATU’S 10th National Congress, last held in 2012. The Court order puts us a foot ahead, as we reclaim COSATU from the forces that are hell-bent on turning our Federation into a blunt weapon and a conveyor-belt of neoliberal and anti-working class polices, that will serve the interests of the butchers of the working class who are currently in power.
As NUMSA, joined by our allies, we view the Court order as a victory for the workers of our country and the generation that built COSATU over the past 30 years. History is on our side in this momentous journey of reclaiming COSATU, as an independent; anti-capitalist; class orientated; internationalist and fighting Federation of workers.
Statement issued by Castro Ngobese, NUMSA national spokesperson, May 11 2015
