UPDATE ON THE COURT CHALLENGE REGARIDNG THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL SUSPENSION OF COSATU GENERAL SECRETARY

October 7, 2013

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has been receiving a number of calls or queries, particularly from various media houses, including from individual journalists, pertaining to Numsa's court challenge on the unprecedented and unconstitutional suspension of COSATU's General Secretary comrade Zwelinzima Vavi.

There have been widespread speculations and unconfirmed reports that the matter will be heard tomorrow Tuesday October 08, 2013, at the South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, Gauteng province. We have since consulted our lawyers and they have honestly advised us that the matter will not be heard tomorrow as speculated by some.

During the first court proceedings held on September 10, 2013, some other  COSATU affiliated unions were given a court order until October 14, 2013, to reply to our papers, including those filed by COSATU's General Secretary comrade Vavi. Secondly, Numsa and comrade Vavi were given until October 28, 2013, to respond to the papers filed by these opposing unions.

Therefore, this matter will only be heard on an unspecified date in November 2013. Once we have received the exact date, such a date will be publicly communicated.

We want to reaffirm that our decision to take COSATU to court was not an easy decision, but this decision was imposed on us, since COSATU's democratic processes are being flouted and subverted for narrow and factional political agendas in order to isolate and remove comrade Vavi, from his elected position. Our court challenge should be located and understood within the context of defending COSATU's independence, militancy and its founding democratic values, as a mandatory and worker-controlled property of workers.

Statement issued by Castro Ngobese, NUMSA national spokesperson, October 7 2013

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