The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has noted the gross misrepresentations and allegations contained in an article inside The Sunday Independent which amongst others alleges that its General Secretary Comrade Frans Baleni is in the running to be COSATU General Secretary in 2012 (see here). The NUM dismisses the mischief that the article carries. There is currently no race for the leadership of COSATU or the NUM or the SACP. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has no campaigners for any leadership position as the article insinuates.

None of the COSATU affiliates has nominated anybody for any position but the media; in particular, the Sunday Independent has its own nominations though it is not an affiliate of COSATU.

The NUM believes that leaders are invited to serve by their constituencies for a particular period and when that mandate expires, it is up to the particular constituency to renew the mandate or elect new leaders. The current leadership in COSATU, the NUM and the SACP has been given a mandate to lead their respective organizations by their various constituencies up to a particular time, and that time has not yet come.

It is therefore mischievous to have an article that is largely dependant on anonymous sources that seeks to portray a non-existent succession battle within COSATU. For the record, the NUM enjoys a harmonious relationship with other affiliates within COSATU and the entire congress movement.

The NUM is further perturbed by the continuous portrayal of its General Secretary as a proxy or lackey of the ANC Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe. Mantashe is Secretary-General of the ANC and a predecessor to Baleni and his relationship with the NUM General Secretary is no different from any relationship from other COSATU affiliates General Secretaries except for the fact that the NUM is where he served for many years.

Statement issued by Lesiba Seshoka, NUM national spokesman, April 5 2011

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