Cosatu leaders to sort out factions in Eastern Cape

[caption id="attachment_36986" align="alignright" width="250"] HEAL RIFTS: Sdumo Dlamini will lead Cosatu delegation[/caption]

COSATU leaders Sdumo Dlamini and Zwelinzima Vavi will lead a high- level delegation to East London today to iron out divisions in the provincial structure.

Cosatu deputy chairwoman Ntomboxolo Maheneza said national officials, including Dlamini and Vavi, were expected to be part of a provincial executive committee (PEC) meeting to discuss the union's roadmap to a special congress.

The special provincial congress will elect new office bearers after three of the union's senior Eastern Cape leaders were deployed by the ANC.

Cosatu provincial chairman Mpumelelo Saziwa and treasurer Nonceba Khontsiwe were sworn in as MPLs two weeks ago, while provincial secretary Mandla Rayi is now a member of the National Council of Provinces.

This has left Maheneza as the only office bearer at the East London-based provincial office.

"The central executive committee agreed in principle that the Eastern Cape will have to go to a special congress and elect new office bearers. I cannot serve as an official by myself," Maheneza said.

The structure was rocked by divisions over Vavi's suspension in the run-up to the general election.

Vavi was suspended last August following his admission that he had a sexual relationship with a junior union official.

He was reinstated in March following a high court ruling which nullified his suspension.

Ten Eastern Cape affiliates of Cosatu, including the National Union of Metalworkers and the South African Democratic Teachers' Union, were united against eight other unions and demanded Vavi's reinstatement.

They also called for Cosatu to convene a special national congress to discuss Vavi's suspension. But this was never communicated by Saziwa-led officials who were viewed as pro-Dlamini.

The pro-Vavi faction accused the Saziwa- and Rayi-led PEC of failing to implement PEC decisions. This came after delegates to a Cosatu shop stewards council last December voted to reinstate Vavi, and supported the call for a special national congress.

Maheneza confirmed yesterday that when the PEC discusses the road map to congress today, it will discuss how to iron out the divisions which characterised the federation in the province before the elections.

"The problems of factions have to be addressed, especially now that the general secretary [Vavi] is back in office, before we talk about the logistics of a special provincial congress," Maheneza said. - Zine George