COSATU Criticizes NUMSA for Not Participating in Economic Summit

Irvin Jim, secretary general of the National Union of Metalworkers in South Africa (NUMSA). He has defended Zwelinzima Vavi, the secretary general of COSATU., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

National & Provincial
Aug 30 2013 9:17PM

Dlamini hits back at Numsa

Qaanitah Hunter
New Age, South Africa

Leaders of Cosatu and its affiliate union the National Union of Mineworkers (Num) have lashed out at the National Union of Metal Workers SA (Numsa) for not participating at the Economic Alliance Summit which began today.

Cosatu President Sdumo Dlamini said he would not "compete" with (Numsa) for attention by responding to allegations that Numsa was not involved in the preparation toward the summit.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Economic Alliance Summit which started on Friday, Dlamini said he "could not understand" why Numsa decided to pull out of the summit.

"We have been in preparation for the summit for a quite a long time and there were issues whether the summit would discuss the National Development Plan (NDP) or macroeconomic policies," he said.

At a Cosatu union meeting on Tuesday leaders of affiliated unions agreed that they would communicate their skepticism of the NDP.

Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said on Friday that Numsa and other affiliates had asked Cosatu to request that the meeting be postponed because affiliates were not ready for the gathering.

Numsa said it would not attend because it had not prepared.

Num leader Senzeni Zokwana told The New Age that Jim was "making nonsense" by not attending the summit.

"I don't know what Jim is thinking. He is the one that is causing the split in the alliance," he said.

Zokwana bemoaned Numsa's absence saying they could have participate.

"They say they are supporting Zweli(nzima Vavi) but they are not helping him," he said.

Numsa said it had also written to Cosatu to request that Vavi - who was suspended earlier this month- be reinstated, failing which they said they would consider approaching the courts.

Dlamini refused to comment on the letter saying they will handle it internally inside Cosatu.

qaanitahh@thenewage.co.za