Tuesday August 06, 2013
Numsa’s biggest Region of Ekurhuleni with a membership of 58500 members has seen the headline news about the alleged “rape / sexual harassment” allegations against the General Secretary of Cosatu comrade Zwelinzima Vavi. The Regional Office Bearers (ROBs’) convened its local structures for a mandated position on the matter.
Our locals re-affirmed and stand by its regional and national leadership on their unequivocal support for Cde Vavi as already conveyed by the national office bearers of the Metalworkers. We appreciate the down to earth approach employed by Cde Vavi and the remorse he has shown by apologizing and owning up his mistake.
It is heartening that although he has humbled himself and conceded to have committed an “era of judgment” and profusely apologized there are some notorious elements who still want a pound of his flesh for narrow political reasons of course. It remains a matter of interest that none seeks to know from the alleged victim who has since withdrawn the allegations as to who are “these people, who want to bring you down” who offered one million Rand. We hope sanity will prevail and the truth will come out.
As a Region we take serious note of the hypocritical stance by the ANC Women’s League that rise from the dead to feed on the anticipated Cde Vavi’s carcass. They of late selectively want to be seen to hold high moral standards, which has surpassed their character worse off they even undermine Cosatu’s internal processes by questioning the integrity of the federation about the fairness of its internal disciplinary processes. We hope this will be the real revival of the organization and that they will do their utmost best to put their own house into order and play a real role in the emancipation of women a challenge they have been found wanting in numerous occasions.
We further noted with great interest the vicious diatribe by Jessie Duarte on City-press (04/08/2013). It is interesting that the African National Congress which Jessie is it’s Deputy General Secretary is now suffering from amnesia and even betrays its principle of “innocence until proven guilty” which they have sung in numerous occasions that we need not remind them about of course as they are all fresh in peoples minds. We hope Jessie and company are not trying to employ the Stalinist tendencies of silencing political opponents by shooting blanks this time around because they realize that their mischievous scheming is about to be exposed, then want people to be impatient about the processes so that eventually the truth is buried.
We would further want to take this opportunity to add our voices to the call for a special congress of Cosatu in order to iron out all the current problems that seek to tear apart the federation and let workers decided as to where do they want the federation to be as it is crystal clear that there is a leadership void hence Zweli who has since been identified as the voice of reason by the working class is subjected to all the brutal onslaughts by the enemies of the working class who wants to see a Cosatu that is a toy telephone.
Should the call for a special congress fail we will continue to rally behind the leadership that is prepared to serve the needs of the workers and the poor, Cde Vavi in particular and take leaf from Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) in calling him to re-avail himself for another term as the General Secretary of Cosatu because we need leaders of his caliber as the class war is intensifying.
Contact:
Jacob Xilongo
Regional Secretary
Mobile: 083 297 9083
Email: jacobx@numsa.org.za