The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), Port Elizabeth Local notes the spurious and deplorable comments attributed to the COSATU President S’dumo Dlamini, in relation to the suspension of Numsa Shopsteward and COSATU’s second Deputy President Zingiswa Losi.

The COSATU’s Dlamini is unreservedly quoted in The Citizen, “Cosatu ‘purge’: top pro-Zuma woman gets the boot too”, Wednesday October 2, 2013. He makes inflammatory and unsubstantiated insinuations and claims’ alleging that comrade Losi is being targeted in order for a COSATU special Congress to be speedily convened and for supporting ANC President Jacob Zuma.

COSATU President says, “It would be unfortunate if Losi was being targeted so that there can be a speedy special conference”.

We find these distasteful comments by President Dlamini unfortunate and regrettable. Such comments can only be made by someone that suffers from high levels of paranoia and infantile disorder. Comrade Losi’s suspension has nothing to do with the forthcoming COSATU special Congress, as duly requested by nine (9) affiliates, in line with the constitutional provisions of the federation.

The COSATU President further insinuates that “The labour federation does not want to draw a conclusion that Losi was suspended for supporting Zuma”. It is quite interesting that President Dlamini, can make such cheap and ill-conceived conclusions. This has nothing to do with an individual’s leadership preferences or personal feelings. It should be clearly stated that as an democratically elected leadership and our members at the shopfloor have no ill-feelings towards President Zuma, but we have ill-feelings and deep-hatred towards any reactionary programme that seeks to undermine our revolutionary gains as the working class. Our ill-feelings towards the neoliberal embedded National Development Plan (NDP), which has its deep-roots and imprints on DA’s policies, commodification and privatization of public roads through the popularly rejected e-tolls and Labour Brokering, are publicly known, including by the leadership of the ANC-led Alliance.

We call on COSATU President to stop publicly commenting on this matter. The suspension of comrade Losi is an internal and organisational disciplinary matter. We demand a public apology and an unconditional retraction.

Issued by Numsa Port Elizabeth Local

Contact:

Bandla Mtshiselwa
Local Secretary
Mobile: 0728584576

Or

Andile Bloko
Local Deputy Secretary
Mobile: 0735288764