SATAWU Post CEC Press Statement - 26 August 2012
The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) held its special Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting on the 25th August 2012 under the theme "advancing unity and cohesion towards a strong SATAWU," with a specific focus to provide leadership and instill confidence in the more than 170 000 members of the union across all the sectors in which it organizes. The special CEC took a place at the most difficult times where the workers are in the pressure pot of brutal attacks by capitalism expressed through violence imposed on them by the police, divide and rule tactics by employers and further degradation of their dignity by ever dropping decent wages. It is in these difficult times that the working class deserves decisive leadership for highest forms of morale and discipline.
The special CEC took an opportunity to send heartfelt condolences to our sister affiliate in COSATU, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in relation to the Marikana mine tragedy. While we condemn any form of violent ridden protest action, we detest the butchering of workers at Marikana. These are the repercussions we would like to avoid at all costs with regards renegades who fleeced our union and are on a mission to also mislead our members to engage into violence.
The special CEC received a report about its former president with regards to his alleged reasons for his resignation from the union. Mphahlele has actually not resigned from the union, but cowardly chickened out to avoid the special CEC's investigation into his conduct. The CEC has so far rejected his resignation and has expelled him and took away his membership from SATAWU, this will also happen to his remaining few lieutenants posing as shopstewards while busy recruiting for their anarchy union, Natawu. That union is nothing but a product of rebels, renegades and it is anchored on selfish individuals who seek positions of leadership and privilege by hook or crook. Its leaders are violent thirsty characters that actively embrace belligerence, lawlessness and anarchy as a new bizarre tendency in trade unionism.
Mr Mpahlele, who used the SATAWU resources and his previous position to start the rival union, has a penchant for lustrous political power, which he unfortunately failed to indulge within the strictly disciplined leadership collective of SATAWU. He had a different expectation of the role of the president which sadly for him was about being at the center of financial control for him to dispense political patronage, political skirmishes such as participating into the factional divisional foul play in the federation and the alliance and also ambitions to have a leadership position at COSATU NOB level before he could even complete a year as the newly elected president of SATAWU. The special CEC resolved to desist away from the focus on him but rather concentrate on providing quality service and rapid response to our members in the workplaces.
Department of Labour