NEHAWU CONDEMNS THE UNSUBSTANTIATED RUMOURS OF A SUCCESSION BATTLE IN COSATU AND IN THE SACP

NEHAWU condemns the attempts by some in the media working with their cowardly faceless sources to weaken and distract the working class organisations COSATU and the SACP by alleging that there is a succession battle taking place that pits the leadership of these organisations against each other. The union denounce this rumour mongering by the media and their anonymous sources who in their surreptitious mission and mischief endeavour to drag the names of our leaders trough the mud.

We welcome a joint-statement issued by the two organisations condemning these lies and distancing these working class organisations from this non-existent succession battle. These rumours are nothing more than a farrago of lies meant to create mistrust and suspicion between the two working class formations and their membership.

We want to distance the union and its General Secretary, Cde Fikile Majola from the media reports that allege our participation in a succession race in both Cosatu and SACP because according to us there is no succession race taking place in these two organisation. It is our understanding that the General Secretary of Cosatu,Cde Zwelinzima Vavi is not in the race to take over from Comrade Blade Nzimande as the next General Secretary of the SACP and any report that suggests otherwise is clearly a fabrication.

We find it unfortunate that some opportunists want to hijack the debate that is currently going on in the SACP of whether its General Secretary, Cde Blade Nzimande continues to serve in government or become fulltime in the SACP to attack Cde Blade and sow divisions in the party. This is an issue that will be discussed and decided internally by the structures of the SACP not by the media and we warn all those impish reactionaries who think this concerted media campaign will help achieve their narrow goals to think again.

NEHAWU is very much behind the leadership of both the SACP and Cosatu and we continue to believe that they are reliable and disciplined leaders who will never betray the struggle of the working class and will not allow these rumours to distract them in their work.

Statement issued by Sizwe Pamla, NEHAWU Media Liaison Officer, April 4 2011

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter