COSATU+statement+on+City+Press+allegations



=COSATU statement on City Press allegations=


 * 14 August 2006**

The COSATU National Office Bearers met today, 14 August 2006, to review negative public statements that appeared in the City Press on 13 August 2006. The National Office Bearers wish to record the following:

1. There is no truth to the suggestions that the COSATU National Office Bearers collectively or individually are conducting an investigation into the COSATU General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi. President Willie Madisha confirmed in the meeting that he is not conducting such an investigation. There is no truth to the allegation that the COSATU General Secretary has misused the COSATU credit card for personal gain or failed to account for the usage of the credit card. If such an investigation is happening, it is happening without any of the COSATU National Office Bearers’ authorisation or even knowledge.

2. There is no truth to the allegations that the COSATU President and COSATU General Secretary are not on speaking terms because of supposed tensions caused by the leadership contest in the coming Ninth National Congress. The truth is that the COSATU National Office Bearers meet every Monday to discuss a range of organisational challenges.

3. There is no truth to the suggestions that COSATU or the COSATU National Office Bearers are divided on their support or lack of support for the ANC Deputy President. The reality of the matter is that COSATU constitutional structures have over and over again unanimously come to the conclusion that the federation should provide unwavering support for the ANC Deputy President for the reasons advanced by our members.

4. COSATU regrets that, unlike in the previous COSATU congresses, faceless sources, for reasons only known to themselves, continue to peddle untruths and half truths about so-called ‘internal divisions’ and ‘serious leadership contests’ that supposedly will happen in the Ninth National Congress. In this scenario these sources, in the most sensationalised fashion, use sections of the media to assassinate characters of individual leaders whilst supposedly profiling others who are said to be alternatives. COSATU has seen this form of destructive tendency in the run-up to a number of COSATU affiliates’ national congresses. This includes the NUM, NUMSA, SATAWU, and SADTU, and now COSATU itself is not spared. We are aware that most of the information is leaked by factions angling for position in these congresses. Regrettably whilst pursuing their narrow factional intentions, these factions cause untold damage to the image of the trade unions. The National Office Bearers condemned this practise in the strongest terms. It is a phenomenon that is so anti-COSATU culture and so anti-revolutionary that the National Office Bearers will insist that the coming congress fully confronts it.

5. Above all, COSATU National Office Bearers are extremely worried that as part of this character assassination, personal lives of targeted individuals are presented in the most twisted negative fashion in order to injure their image. This happened to the COSATU General Secretary yesterday and we are aware that faceless forces are hard at work to target other National Office Bearers as well.

Issued by the COSATU National Office Bearers

14.08.06


 * Patrick Craven (National Spokesperson)**
 * Congress of South African Trade Unions**
 * 1-5 Leyds Cnr Biccard Streets**
 * Braamfontein, 2017**


 * P.O.Box 1019**
 * Johannesburg, 2000**
 * SOUTH AFRICA**


 * Tel: +27 11 339-4911/24**
 * Fax: +27 11 339-5080/6940/ 086 603 9667**
 * Cell: 0828217456**
 * E-Mail: patrick@cosatu.org.za**

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