Numsa statement on the so-called revolt in Numsa
30 May 2014
The Gupta owned newspaper, The New Age, in today's edition (Friday 30 May 2014),is peddling screaming headlines of a revolt in Numsa based on a clandestine gathering of some 36 people who attended a Cedric Gina convened meeting in Benoni on 25 May 2014. This meeting held in Destiny Exclusive hotel in Benoni, was allegedly funded by Mr. Zamani Letjane of Akani Retirement Funds. This shows how business intersects with disgruntled elements to capture the heart and soul of Numsa.
On the eve and after our watershed Special National Congress (SNC) held in December 2013, the South African Communist Party (SACP) threatened Numsa that it shall not leave the Alliance in general and Cosatu in particular without shedding some Numsa members. This threat was accelerated and intensified to the point that the SACP published an open letter on the eve of our Special National Congress calling on Congress delegates to revolt against their democratically elected leadership to whom the SACP refer to as a clique. This revolt did not take place.
The dramatic resignation of Cedric Gina as Numsa President on the eve of the Congress was intended to appeal for sympathy and create a fertile ground for a revolt against the national leadership. This revolt did not take place.
The unmandated letter to the Numsa General Secretary making all sorts of unfounded allegations was penned by Sifiso Maphumulo, a former Numsa Shopsteward at Toyota. Interestingly through a worker-controlled and democratic process, Maphumulo was relieved from him duties and responsibilities as a Shopsteward. The Numsa members in Toyota, in line with our constitutional provisions petitioned the Union for the removal of shopstewards. We know for a fact that the SACP's elections campaign in Toyota Durban was part of the plot to liquidate Numsa and this particular plot was taken for further discussion in the 25th May 2014 Benoni meeting by former disgruntled individuals.
The report by the New Age suggesting that 5 Regions (out of the 9 Numsa Regions) attended the meeting of 25 May 2015 in Benoni is so far removed from the truth that is laughable. Shoddy journalism did not bother to verify the facts. Not a single region of Numsa as we constitutionally know and understand Numsa Regions attended this so-called caucus. What we can confirm is that 36 individuals consisting of former and present Numsa members came from East London, KwaZulu-Natal, Hlanganani and Ekhuruleni allegedly transported, fed and accommodated by Akani Retirement Funds.
We do not deny that there are individuals inside and outside Numsa that harbour ill-intentions of forming another metalworkers union as a breakaway from Numsa. We have said so in all public statements. What we are certain about is that Numsa is growing on a monthly basis.
We are further satisfied that all discussion document of our December 2013 Congress went through Local and Regional and National Workshops, and therefore, the resolutions emanating from our Congress are owned by the owners of our union in the spirit and principle of democratic centralism.
We wish the plotters good luck because they are going nowhere slowly.
Statement issued by Numsa National Office Bearers (NOBs'), May 30 2014
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